Although not a major contributor, Bhutan along with other least developed countries remain most vulnerable to threats and negative impacts of climate change. So as the chair of Least Developed Countries(LDC) Bhutan will ask the developed countries at the United Nations Climate Summit to cut down their emissions to maintain temperature rise below 1.5 degree Celsius.
Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering is leading the Bhutanese delegates to the Climate Action Summit in New York ahead of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
At the recent Friday Meet session, Lyonchhen and Agriculture Minister Yeshey Penjor said Bhutan being a carbon-neutral country do not have to commit on reducing emissions. But will rather ask the leaders of the developed countries to reduce their emissions to minimise the impacts of climate change.
“From our side we have one agenda, to ask the world to listen to us, follow us. There’s enough evidence that climate change is real and affecting us,” Lyonchhen Dr Lotay Tshering said.
“For Bhutan, we have already gone ahead of our commitment of remaining carbon neutral. Bhutan being the chair of LDC so on behalf of the LDC what Bhutan will be tabling is to ask the developed countries to cut down their emissions to maintain temperature rise below 1.5 degree Celsius,” Yeshey Penjor, the Agriculture and Forests Minister, said.
Calling on world leaders to come with concrete, realistic plans to accelerate the implementation of Paris Agreement, United Nations Secretary-General is hosting UN Climate Action Summit in New York today ahead of the UN General Assembly.
A news release from the UN says the UN Global Compact had announced that companies with a combined market capitalisation of more than the US $ 2.3 trillion and emitting most carbon are taking action to align their businesses with what scientists say is needed to limit the worst impacts of climate change.
The companies headquartered in 27 countries have committed to set climate targets across their operations and value chains aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degree Celsius and reaching net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.
UN Climate Action Summit will be attended by heads of state and government and business CEOs and civil society leaders. The summit will also look into the outcomes of the Youth Climate Action Summit which began on Friday. Youth Climate Action Summit saw youth climate champions from more than 140 countries come together to share their solutions and deliver a clear message to the world leaders that now is the time to address climate change. Ugyen Tshomo represented Bhutan at the Youth Climate Action Summit.
According to the United Nations, global emissions are reaching record levels with no signs of reducing. The world is starting to see the life-threatening impacts of climate change on health, through air pollutions, heatwaves and risks to food security.
Phub Gyem
