Syed Mansoor Qutab
The Climate Change Summit 2019 was recently held to address the climate crisis. Some of the world’s most notable leaders attended and some delivered riveting speeches on the crisis. Secretary Antonio Guterres highlighted how the issue, if not contained would result in serious ramifications for the Earth – and generations to come.
Similarly, Boris Johnson stated that catastrophe could be avoided by being more respo. He highlighted UK’s solar industry and the decline of emissions it experienced. ‘The UK has been running without the use of coal for weeks” he said. Premier Boris wants to reflect the same on to a much larger scale, bringing UK’s use of coal to a complete halt by 2050. Setting out a 5- year plan, Mr. Boris Johnson felt optimistic that by leveraging technology, overcoming the impacts of climate change is achievable.
Imran Khan was a contributor to the cause as well, stating the ‘catastrophic consequences’ of climate change could include influx of refugees – such as the ones that come to Pakistan from Afghanistan – due to prolonged droughts. Pakistan only contributes 1% to the carbon emissions in the world, but the ramifications to the climate crisis would heavily impact Pakistan and its millions of people.
Furthering the agenda of the summit, leaders such as Emmanuel Macron joined in with their statements, urging the world leaders to do more. However, President Donald Trump was a mere disappointment to the cause. He stayed for PM Nirendra Modi and the Angela Merkel’s speech, and left soon after, to join a publicity event for religious rights that he had scheduled during the UN Summit – displaying disinterest in the climate crisis dialogue.
Greta Thunberg said it best when she stated that the “world leaders are failing us”. She elaborated that the world could face mass extinctions because the leaders are focused on monetary benefits and growth of their economies. Thunberg opened the world up to the idea of reflecting on their policies. She accused them in a calm yet harsh tone that they were the culprits responsible for the destruction of the world.
The Summit concluded with a Press release, where it was highlighted that climate action momentum would be boosted, and greenhouse gas emissions would be made net zero by 2050. Countries have pledged funds to the cause and smaller countries that have the least contributions to the problem have pledged sizeable amounts as well.
Through these steps, Greta Thunberg also urged the Assembly to hold leaders accountable for inaction and deteriorating circumstances of the Earth.
