(VOVWORLD) -The United Nations unveiled the “Climate Promise 2025” initiative on Tuesday, calling for concerted global effort to prevent temperatures from rising beyond an additional 1.5 degrees Celsius as stipulated in the Paris Agreement.
 Heat wave bakes the street of Madrid, Spain, August 9, 2023. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
Led by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN Development Program, the campaign mobilizes a diverse group of participants including social media influencers, indigenous leaders, and major corporations.
Mr. Guterres underlined the urgency of climate action at the campaign’s launch event in New York, citing recent extreme weather events and scientific reports, warning that “what we are seeing is just a preview of the disaster that awaits unless we limit the long-term rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius”.
At the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum last week, the UN chief urged governments to create new nationally determined contributions (NDC) on climate change by 2025.
He said: "Our climate is in melt-down and the poorest are paying the price. This is breathtaking injustice. Governments need to adopt strong policies to accelerate the global phase-out of fossil fuels and a just transition to clean energy. They need to create new national climate plans by 2025 that align with the 1.5-degree Celsius limit."
The “1.5 degrees Celsius limit is still possible, but not for long, “said the UN chief, urging all nations, especially the Group of 20 (G20), to intensify their efforts. “We need concrete steps this year to get finance flowing and enable a surge in climate ambition, “he insisted.