In order to prioritise climate credibility over power politics, UN leader Antonio Guterres omitted prominent figures from the roster of his Climate Action Summit on Wednesday.
Only 34 of the more than 100 governments who applied to speak at the summit in New York were selected, with places given to those who the UN referred to as “first movers and first doers.”
Only the leaders of Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, and South Africa will speak on behalf of the G20 countries. Among those left off the speaker list were representatives from the US, China, the UK, and India.
According to a source with knowledge of the conversations, states like the US and UK pleaded with Guterres to allow them to speak but did not fit his requirements.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was under pressure at home to defend his stance on climate change after the BBC reported that he intended to soften important regulations including the phase-out of gas boilers and petrol vehicles.
The contradictory statements infuriated the automakers. Experts noted that the UK has legally enforceable carbon budgets and that the net zero aim has broad public support.
In his speech to the UN yesterday, US President Joe Biden made no new climate-related announcements.
He asserted that “the world is on track” to give developing nations $100 billion in climate funding per year. Rich nations committed to provide this amount by 2020, yet they were at least $17 billion shy of their goal.
Although industrialised nations claim to be “confident” of finally fulfilling the commitment in 2023, this won’t be verified until 2025. According to analysts, the US is mostly to blame for the deficit.
The presidents of Brazil and South Africa lambasted wealthier nations for not fulfilling this commitment by 2020 in their statements yesterday.
China, the world’s largest polluter, was not listed as a speaker. It has been working on a methane emissions strategy since at least last December, but has not yet released it.
Vice-President of China Han Zheng met with US climate envoy John Kerry yesterday. Kerry reportedly urged China to “reduce emissions of super pollutants like methane,” according to the US authorities.
Over half of those called to address the UN are European nations or small islands.
Brazil, South Africa, Vietnam, Thailand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are examples of emerging economies.
Brazil’s president Lula is anticipated to declare that he is discarding the weakened climate targets set by his predecessor and working on new and improved ones.