Leaders from around the world will meet online Monday, January 25, for the first summit dedicated to making the planet more resilient to the effects of climate change.
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These leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, are to participate by video chat at the summit on climate change adaptation, hosted by the Netherlands.
The meeting, in which the current UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his predecessor Ban Ki-moon will also be present, should lead to an
"adaptation program of action" in
order to cope with such effects. as sea level rise, extreme weather conditions and crop failures.
“This year 2021 will have several turning points in which the leaders and peoples of the world will truly show their strong commitment.
We haven't done much in terms of adaptation, ”
so far, Ban Ki-moon told reporters last week.
If we don't learn to deal with the consequences, if we can't adapt, the impact will be disastrous.
"
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte
The new international coalition called the “Adaptation Action Coalition” should bring together the United Kingdom, Egypt, Bangladesh, Malawi, the Netherlands, Saint Lucia and the United Nations.
The summit is being held almost entirely online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said his country, a third of whose territory lies below sea level, has centuries of experience in protecting land from water and that he hopes to share it with d 'other.
“If we don't learn to deal with the consequences, if we can't adapt, the impact will be disastrous,”
he said in a video address.
"Together with many world leaders, I will launch a detailed adaptation agenda
.
"
Downing Street said in a statement that Boris Johnson is expected to say at the summit:
“It is undeniable that climate change is already underway and is already devastating lives and economies.
We need to adapt to our changing climate, and we need to do it now. ”
Read also: In China, Xi Jinping's new climate ambition
This summit is the first to focus on the effects of climate change, according to the organizers.
The previous ones were mainly devoted to the fight against the causes of the phenomenon, in particular emissions.
These include reducing the vulnerability of countries to rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions and food shortages.
The program could include strengthening the ramparts facing the sea, but also how to take advantage of new opportunities like longer growing seasons and the emergence of new growing areas, organizers said.
"The summit will focus strongly on securing new investments, to ensure that millions of smallholder farmers can adapt to the pressures exerted by the climate on food production,"
says the UN on its website.
"Summit organizers called for significant new funding for agricultural research, expanded access to advisory services to farmers, as well as risk management and funding services,"
he said.
