The United States has returned to the international scene stomping and demanding to treat the climate crisis as an emergency. Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry has launched the appeal at the Global Adaptation Summit held virtually and hosted by the Netherlands. We are proud to be back,” said Kerry. “We return with humility for the absence of these four years and we will do everything in our power to make up for it.
Within hours of his arrival at Casa Banca, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to return to the Paris agreement, after the departure decreed by Donald Trump in 2017. The return will be effective in a month and Biden himself has promised to hold a first summit on North American soil in its first 100 days to make up for lost ground.
The Global Adaptation Summit is designed to promote the Green Climate Fund to help the least favored nations and most exposed to the impacts of extreme weather: from storms to floods, through heat waves or rising water levels. sea. The goal is to create alert systems, build coastal defenses, improve drainage in cities, invest in drought-resistant crops and build resilience in communities.
“CONDEMN THE MOST VULNERABLE”
In the United States, we suffered three devastating storms in 2020, with estimated damages of 265,000 million dollars (290,000 million euros),” warned Kerry. “We have reached a point where it is cheaper to invest in damage prevention than in cleaning and rebuilding afterward. Continuing with the current level of emissions means condemning the most vulnerable countries and people with the fewest resources to fundamentally unlivable conditions, added Kerry. That is why a reduction is urgent, out of sheer common sense.
We now have a president who, thank God, is telling the truth and has decided to lead, “Kerry declared.” And he knows we have to mobilize to meet this accelerating challenge. We have a limited time to be able to keep the situation under control. Kerry reiterated his country’s commitment to the goal of zero emissions in 2050 and announced the publication of its commitments for a reduction in 2030 “as soon as practicable.” The US envoy also announced the return of his country to the Green Climate Fund, after repeated breaches by the Trump Administration.
100 MILLION TO ADAPT THE SAHEL
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, reiterated the need for a greater international commitment to support the less favored nations. The Netherlands, as agitations of the summit, announced a commitment of 20 million euros. It is estimated that at least € 100 million would be required for adaptation to sustainable agricultural practices in the African Sahel, and several times more for adaptation projects in Southeast Asia. The United Kingdom, as the organizer of COP26 in Glasgow in November, has played a vital role in the summit and has driven the Coalition for Action for Adaptation, together with the Netherlands, Egypt, Bangladesh, Malawi, and Saint Lucia.
Premier Boris Johnson spoke personally at the summit. “It is undeniable that climate change is already upon us and is devastating our lives and our economies,” said Johnson, who recalled how his government has pledged to invest the equivalent of 5.8 billion euros in coastal defenses and against floods. The need for a resilient recovery will be our priority this year during the G7 presidency, declared the premier. We are going to work together to adapt, to be more resilient, and to save lives in the world.
