Your Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik,
Your Excellency Ms. Lea Wermelin, Minister of Environment of Denmark,
Ms. Grete Faremo, Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services,
Friends and colleagues.
As His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik just said, the world is in a climate emergency.
The latest trilogy of reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, told us that climate change is disrupting the natural world, undermining development and threatening millions with poverty. They told us that we are still not doing enough to respond by cutting greenhouse gas emissions – confirming the findings of UNEP’s 2021 Emissions Gap Report – or by prioritizing adaptation measures.
This is an emergency of our own making. The last two decades saw the highest increase in emissions in human history, even though scientists warned us of the consequences. We saw the kitchen was burning but, instead of reaching for the fire extinguisher, we turned the oven up.
Had we started serious cuts to emissions in 2010 or sooner, we would be looking at a much easier task. But now we must almost halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to have a chance of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.
We can afford no more delays. We can afford no more half measures. We need to increase action on both climate mitigation and adaptation to reach our climate goals and preserve a liveable planet.
We can still do it. But only if the biggest polluters urgently deal with their own emissions and, crucially, help developing nations leapfrog to cleaner technology and natural solutions that slow climate change and help communities adapt.
The UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre, or UNEP-CCC, has a key role to play in this space – by filling gaps in knowledge and supporting developing nations.
Right now, we need complete transformations of all parts of society and the economy. To enable such convincing action, we need knowledge sharing, data availability and accessibility – all of which are key to building the scientific basis for good policy and economic decisions. Transparency is also critical to maintain confidence that our actions work, and that commitments are being kept. These needs are greatest in developing countries, which stand to suffer the most from a changing climate.
By linking science and policy, UNEP-CCC will make science more accessible, more trusted, more democratic, and more useful – thus contributing to the transformations we need.
Friends, the centre can make a real difference, as it is built on solid pillars.
We have the Government of Denmark’s unwavering support. We have UNOPS operational skills. And we have a strong history. The centre’s staff come from UNEP’s previous partnership with the Technical University of Denmark, or DTU, and before that the UNEP-Risoe partnership. It was under these previous guises that the Emissions Gap report series was produced – a series that contributed greatly to the international climate change agenda. My thanks to the Government of Denmark, to UNOPS and, of course, to the staff who have already achieved so much.
With this base to build on, we are set for success. The centre will support developing countries as they move onto climate-resilient and low carbon development paths. Be a vital part of UNEP’s mission to deliver compelling science and solutions. Facilitate international collaboration. Through this work, I expect the centre to help the world exit the climate emergency and shape a safer and more peaceful world.
Thank you.
