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HE. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change
Xie Zhenhua, China Special Envoy for Climate Change
John Kerry, United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2023 tells us we are heading for a global temperature rise of 2.5 to 2.9°C this century. We can’t let this happen. So, this climate COP must spark deep cuts to CO2 emissions. But time is scarce, and action even scarcer. Keeping 1.5°C within reach requires ambitious action on methane and other non-CO2 gases.
Addressing such short-lived climate pollutants can reduce near-term warming, and bring benefits for air pollution, health and food security. The 2021 Global Methane Assessment found that proven technologies could reduce methane emissions by 45 per cent by 2030. A report from the Cool Coalition, to be released at this COP, will highlight the importance of accelerated action on phasing down climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. We must also address other gases, such as Nitrous Oxide, the third most significant greenhouse gas after CO2 and methane.
UNEP is advancing efforts on these gases through the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the Cool Coalition. IMEO drives accountability in the oil and gas sector. Over 100 companies engage through its Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0. The Methane Alert and Response System identified 1,500 methane plumes in its first year. The Climate and Clean Air Coalition serves as the secretariat for the Global Methane Pledge and supports countries to address emissions of short-lived climate pollutants. New work is underway on N20.
The UNEP-led Cool Coalition supports action on sustainable cooling. UNEP is a partner of the COP Presidency’s Global Cooling Pledge, which will be announced on December 5. Achieving the Pledge would save 78 billion tonnes of CO2e by 2050, increase access to sustainable cooling and save money.
But turning ambition into implementation in these areas requires money. There have been initiatives from multilateral development banks, donors and philanthropies on methane. But methane abatement finance must increase at least 3.5 times by 2030. The latest replenishment of the Montreal Protocol’s Multilateral Fund boosted efforts to phase down hydrofluorocarbons. But action on other gases remain underfunded.
If we close the finance gap, we can slow near-term warming, deliver benefits for sustainable development and buy time for the low-carbon transformations that must begin, starting at this COP.
