UN climate summit pushes for concrete plans

In his December 2022 announcement of plans to hold a "Climate Ambition Summit," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that the conference would only include leaders of countries that have set out specific plans to achieve goals towards net zero emissions.

Among the countries invited to attend the conference are Brazil, Canada, France. The European Union (EU) delegation in New York confirmed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will speak at the conference.

The conference’s speakers list does not include representatives from China and the United States, the two largest greenhouse gas emitters. However, US President Joe Biden sent his special climate envoy, John Kerry, to attend the conference. In addition, California Governor Gavin Newsom also attended.

The US State Department said that Mr. John Kerry met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on September 19 on the sidelines of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. During the meeting, the US Special Envoy emphasized the need for the world's two largest economies to accelerate the process of carbon neutrality and reduce methane emissions.

The US and China are estimated to emit up to 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year. US President Joe Biden has set a target of reducing US emissions, aiming for net zero emissions by 2050. In August 2022, President Biden signed the Reduction of Inflation Act, which includes a $369 billion support package for US climate and clean energy projects.

The climate summit was held after the UN released a report showing countries were failing to meet commitments made eight years ago in Paris to limit global temperature rises.

Speaking on September 19 at the opening session of the Sustainable Development Goals Summit, UN Secretary-General Guterres expressed concern about the serious impacts caused by climate change, emphasizing that countries that are always "missing their deadlines" with their emission reduction commitments should not wait for other countries to act first.