Simon Stiell: A global stocktake "Must be the Tipping Point" in Order to Keep Warming to 1.5°C

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell delivered remarks during the opening plenary of the third technical dialogue of the global stocktake.

Friends, coworkers,

This year is important for climate action.

The global stocktake at COP28 must be a watershed moment in which we get back on track to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

As a result, the importance of this discourse in informing the stocktake and creating the groundwork for a bold reaction cannot be emphasised.

You must use the final push of the technical dialogue in the coming days to provide the stocktake co-facilitators everything they need for a relevant synthesis report.

Which should include actual instances of a synthesis report that communicates key messages to the stocktake's political phase.

Technical knowledge, best practices, and lessons learnt to assist Parties and non-Party stakeholders in determining what steps to take to correct course and meet the Paris Agreement goals.

As the IPCC Chair has previously stated, the current IPCC report spells out starkly and plainly the threat of climate change to nature and humanity.

And it lays out the course we should take to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as agreed upon in Paris.

Reducing emissions by 43% by 2030 compared to 2010, reaching net-zero by mid-century, and producing a resilient world.

The global inventory will reveal that we are not yet on that route.

Parties' pledges and their implementation are insufficient.

As a result, the outcome of the stocktake will decide our success.

The success of COP28, and, more crucially, the success of climate stabilisation.

That obligation requires immediate and ambitious action and support.

Taking a clear stance on pollution.

Setting our societies on a path of resilient development while maintaining the essential support and cooperation.

We must invest in adaptation since we are already seeing the effects of climate change.

Because adaptation is too late or finance is insufficient, we must address loss and damage for many individuals, particularly the most vulnerable.

And, because the essential financing for mitigation and adaptation is lacking globally, we must reconsider the global financial architecture.

And a fundamental and immediate restructuring of our societies and economies.

This week's meeting can build a solid technical foundation for that response.

Create critical messages for course correction. So that all Parties can arrive at COP28 ready to raise the bar.

Parties and other stakeholders can use the technical discussion to share information, assess progress, and develop methods for closing implementation and ambition gaps.

So far, your path has been defined by hard effort, focused debates, and significant contributions from Parties and other stakeholders. Laying the framework for information, progressing to discussions about bridging gaps, and finally turning to implementation.

This meeting is an excellent chance to share technical information with Parties who are updating their NDCs and non-Party stakeholders who are planning climate action actions.

So approach these conversations with an open mind.

Listen, learn, and participate in candid and open dialogues.

Reiterate the importance of collaborative action and international cooperation in combating climate change.

Also, keep in mind the long-term significance of your effort. This is legacy configuration.

Your conversations and outcomes will serve as the foundation for future decision-making during the COP28 output phase and beyond.

To combat climate change, we have the knowledge, tools, and skills.

Science informs us that if we act now, we can still ensure a living, sustainable future for all.

Every contribution and activity is important.

And your input to this session can help us get back on track.

I appreciate it.
Source: unfccc.int