![]() We are now part of an irreversible direction of travel. 1 in 25.Īnd navigating this context is our defining challenge.Īnd frankly, it is a challenge that we will rise to, or fall short of, in this decisive decade.Īnd so today, from the vantage point of the ending of my time as COP President, I want to take stock of where we are.Īnd I want to start by recognising, and indeed championing, the fact that, in some quarters, outstanding work is being done to cement the gains of the Glasgow Climate Pact, and to take us further. There was a report from the Australian Climate Council Study that came out this June that concluded that 1 in 25 Australian homes will become effectively uninsurable by 2030. It is a reality for us in this room.Īnd as the science continues to tell us unfortunately: the worst is yet to come.Ĭatastrophe for many millions more lives and livelihoods.Īnd entire sectors becoming stretched, and uninsurable. So the future that scientists and climate activists have long warned us about, and which has frankly been a reality for some of the most climate vulnerable countries for decades, is now a reality for many millions. There are serious concerns about defending the Eastern seaboard, and the genuine possibility that entire cities will have to relocate away from the coast in our lifetimes.Įarlier this summer, the Colorado River, which generates power for tens of millions of Americans and is a lifeblood for agriculture, was placed in an unprecedented state of emergency, due to falling water levels. Right here in the US, in recent weeks, Hurricane Ian has battered the East Coast. The reality is that these events are becoming increasingly connected.Įxtreme drought and heat, for example, amplify the drivers of migration, of supply chain fragility, and with significant disruption to major economic sectors, not least global grain production.Īnd so I have to say this to you that this is no longer something that happens to other people, somewhere far away. ![]() In recent months, as you know, an area the size of the United Kingdom has flooded in Pakistan, with death, disease and the displacement of millions of people following in the water’s wake. Our global political economy, built on fossil fuels for the last century, is in a state of flux.Ĭoncurrently, leaders and their citizens around the world are dealing with spiralling climate impacts.Ĭlimate catastrophes are becoming more frequent, and sadly they are becoming more ferocious. These crises are absolutely compounding existing climate vulnerabilities, and of course, then the scarring effects of a once-in-a-century pandemic.īut as serious as these crises are, we must also recognise a seismic structural shift that is underway. Vladimir Putin’s brutal and illegal war in Ukraine has precipitated multiple global crises: from energy and food insecurity, to inflationary and debt pressures around the world. ![]() Now almost a year on, it is just 23 days to COP27, the end of the UK’s COP Presidency, and the end of my time as COP President.Īnd the transition to Egypt’s Presidency is coming at a profoundly challenging juncture in our current geopolitics. ![]() Thanks to the commitments made, both inside and indeed outside the negotiating rooms, by both the public and private sector, we left Glasgow with what I described at the time as a fragile win.Īnd we did this against the backdrop of an increasingly fractious geopolitics, and we had nearly 200 countries come together to join forces in the face of a shared global challenge. I have to say that what we agreed in that Pact went further than actually many people had imagined was possible. I want to reflect back to nearly a year ago when the world came together, and we forged together the historic Glasgow Climate Pact. I want to start by thanking Ambassador Green, and Ambassador Quinville, for the warm welcome that I’ve had here at the Wilson Center.
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