UN climate chief: Do not give up on global warming

BERLIN -- Nations should keep their eyes open and continue to work together on global warming, despite all the obstacles currently in the way, including the war in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic.

UN climate chief: Do not give up on global warming

BERLIN -- Nations should keep their eyes open and continue to work together on global warming, despite all the obstacles currently in the way, including the war in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic.

Patricia Espinosa is ending her second term as the head of the U.N. Climate Office. She spoke at the beginning of a 10-day meeting held in Bonn, Germany. Here diplomats from all over the world will attempt to lay the foundations of this year's international summit on climate in Egypt.

She said, "I appeal to you all, especially in these challenging and difficult times, to not lose hope, to not lose focus, and to use our united efforts to combat climate change as an ultimate act of unity among nations."

Most countries have increased their efforts to cut greenhouse gases that cause human-made global warming since signing the 2015 Paris climate agreement. However, these pledges are still far below what is needed to limit global warming from pre-industrial times up to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), by the end the century.

Espinosa acknowledged that more work is required, but she also noted that these commitments were made in a time of international turmoil, from President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris accord (later reversed by the Biden Administration) to the first years of the coronavirus epidemic.

She said, "We must not give up on hope." "We must keep moving forward. Take a look at the achievements of the past six years.

Bonn delegates will be focusing their efforts on financial aid for poor countries that are struggling to deal with the effects of climate change. This is one of the most important issues they will resolve. Espinosa stated that she expected leaders to give their delegates the support they need to reach an agreement on what she called a "balanced deal" as soon as possible.

"We need to understand that climate change is rapidly changing. She stated that incremental progress is not possible. "We need to move these negotiations forward more quickly. It is what the world wants."

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