UN Climate Change executive secretary Simon Stiell has said that countries around the world are still committed the climate transition, even as the United States announces its withdrawal from multilateral agreements.
In a speech at Instituto Rio Branco in Brasília, Brazil‘s diplomatic academy, Stiell, while not mentioning the U.S. directly, said that while “a country may step back” from its climate commitments, “others are already stepping into their place to seize that opportunity”.
Describing the shift to clean energy as “unstoppable, because of the colossal scale of economic opportunity it presents”, Stiell noted that some $2 trillion has flowed into climate finance in the past year.
“That’s twice as much as was invested in fossil fuels last year. Investors know that clean energy makes far more sense,” he said. “The money-making opportunity is simply too big to ignore.”
‘Massive rewards’
Countries that are committed to this transition can reap “massive rewards”, he added, including “stronger economic growth, more jobs, less pollution and far lower health costs, and more secure and affordable energy”.
While the world is “already headed in the right direction”, the implementation of national climate plans – or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – is vital to ensure that these realities can be implemented, he noted.
“Already we’ve seen several major economies – including Brazil and the UK among others – send clear signals they are stepping up climate action by submitting bold new climate action plans, because it’s entirely in the interests of their economies and their citizens,” Stiell said.
“These plans are blueprints for stronger economies and societies – so they cover every sector of the economy and every greenhouse gas. They must work for workers, give clear signals to markets, and ensure that money flows to build clean and resilient infrastructure.”
Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement marks its tenth anniversary this year, and while the world has “become much more divided” in the years since, investment in the climate transition has managed to “buck the trend”.
“In 2025, it’s time for the Just Transition to go from the margins to the mainstream,” he said. “Ten years ago, in Paris, all countries signed up to both implement and accelerate climate action, reaffirming that it was in their national interests to do so.
“Over the next ten years, our process will lean into that drive for agency and rising living standards, for the many, not just the few.” Read more here. [Photo: Isabela Castilho/COP30 Amazônia]
