06 November 2017•Update: 06 November 2017
By Ayhan Simsek
BERLIN
The UN’s top climate official on Monday called for urgent action on climate and warned against the catastrophic consequences of global warming.
Speaking at the opening session of the 23rd Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa said millions of people were at risk due to extreme weather events.
“This is the 23rd COP conference. But never before have we met with a greater sense of urgency,” she said.
“2017 will likely be one of the three hottest years on record. And long-term indicators of climate change such as carbon dioxide concentrations, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, among other disturbing phenomena, will continue unless we act,” she stressed.
Some 195 states, 80 international organizations, and more than 1,000 NGOs are participating in the 23rd Climate Change Conference, which will continue through Nov. 17.
‘Paris accord irreversible'
German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks, who is co-hosting the conference with the tiny island nation of Fiji, called for effective implementation of the Paris climate accord of 2015.
“The Paris agreement is irreversible,” she stressed, in defense of the landmark climate accord, which has been denounced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“We now have to do everything in our power to implement it, and we do not have much time left,” she added.
Hendricks also criticized those who questioned the science behind climate change.
"Climate change has been scientifically proven. The impacts are already been clearly felt today. Climate change poses a threat to the natural foundations of our lives, and it is an existential threat to some countries of the world,” she said.
Hendricks underlined that every dollar countries invest in climate action will pay off in cleaner air, better health and new economic and social opportunities in the future.
The Paris Climate Conference two years ago reached the first legally binding universal agreement on climate change after years of negotiations.
However, Trump decided to pull the U.S. from the historic agreement, claiming that the the deal "punished" the U.S. and would cost millions of jobs.
US policy unchanged
The U.S. special envoy told the conference on Monday that the Trump administration has not changed its position on the Paris agreement.
“On June 1, President Trump announced that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris agreement unless he can identify terms for reengagement that are more favorable to the American people," said Trigg Talley, U.S. deputy special envoy for climate change.
“The administration’s position remains unchanged. While we continue to develop our broader climate policy, we will continue to participate in international climate change negotiations and meetings, including ongoing negotiations related to guidance for implementing the Paris agreement,” he added.
Under the Paris deal, industrialized nations pledged financial support for developing countries for climate protection measures, technology transfer, and capacity-building programs.
The agreement was signed by 195 countries last April and intends to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing carbon emissions and limiting global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius.
