The chair of the Least Developed Countries Group at the UN climate change negotiations has said the latest science tells us that limiting global temperature increases to a level will save the poorest countries in the world.
“All that is required is the will to do it. But if we don’t act urgently, the world’s poorest will suffer,” Prakash Mathema told at a meeting in Bonn, Germany on Tuesday.
Two new reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released in the last three months, present alarming realities for the world’s poorest, he said.
The LDC Group has arrived in Bonn to continue discussions at the UN on reaching a universal, legally-binding agreement on climate change. They are calling for urgent action to ensure that we reach a new legal Agreement in Paris, December 2015.
Extreme temperatures, rainfall and drought, increase in aridity, more intense tropical cyclones, rising sea levels, and ocean acidification are among other adverse effects of climate change. These effects will lead to declining crop yields, undernourishment, injury and ill-health, and a number of other socioeconomic and development challenges.
The LDC Group chair said: “It is still technically and economically feasible to limit temperature increases to below 1.5 degrees Celsius, but only if we all work together to resolve the climate change problem. If some countries advance their own interests and ignore the need for international cooperation, then we are doomed.
“Governments must make substantial progress in their talks in the period leading up to this date. We hope that we will have a negotiating text to discuss in the major climate change meeting later this year in Lima, Peru. This means that this June session of climate change talks is critical. We cannot be delayed by procedural discussions. We must put our heads together and start writing a new agreement.
“As a sign of our commitment to addressing climate change, the LDC Group is already choosing low-carbon and climate-resilient development pathways. We want to show that everyone has a role to play,” he said.
“We stand ready to engage proactively and progressively in the negotiations for a new agreement. We have demonstrated our leadership as the ‘moral voice’ in difficult negotiations. We sincerely hope that all nations will join us in this quest. Reaching a strong conclusion in Paris is crucial for us; it is about the very survival of our communities and future generations. If there is no progress, we stand to lose the most,” Mathema added.
