UNGA 2020: world leaders call for Green recovery from Covid-19

Heads of state and government call for action on climate change at UN roundtable

In this photo provided by the United Nations, Alpha Conde, president of Guinea, speaks in a pre-recorded message which was played during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, at UN headquarters in New York APShow less

World leaders at a UN summit have called for the Covid-19 recovery to focus on green solutions, almost five years on from the Paris climate agreement.

Heads of state and government from the UK, Chile, Niger, Fiji, Italy and Canada met the UN Secretary General, the head of the EU and business leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

The effects of the pandemic and the threat of climate change have loomed large over proceedings at the General Assembly, which has been held online because of coronavirus restrictions.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres opened proceedings, saying renewable energy could deliver three times as many jobs as fossil fuels.

“Covid-19 recovery packages need to accelerate the de-carbonisation of the global economy," Mr Guterres said.

“If we continue on our current path, the scale of suffering around the world due to climate disruption will go beyond all of our imagination."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will co-host an event with the UN on December 12 to mark the five-year anniversary of the Paris Accord, said Covid-19 presented a chance to build a new, green future.

Mr Johnson said the UK’s emissions were down between 8 and 10 per cent on previous years, but that had been achieved amid the “appalling economic shock” of Covid-19.

“Our people aren’t moving, cars aren't travelling and our industry isn't producing emissions in the way that it normally would," he said.

"And that's why now is the moment for us all to work together on the way forward.

“We're taking steps to ensure that the UK economy can bounce back better, build back bolder, build back better, but above all, build back greener.”

An employee in protective suit is seen before a closed-door Copa Libertadores group phase football match between Peru's Alianza Lima and Argentina's Racing at the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium in Lima. AFP

An employee controls the quality of the wicks of the candles in the workshops of the Ciergerie de Lourdes in Lourdes, France. AFP

Japanese designer Takahiro Shibata wears a protective mask that looks like a steaming bowl of ramen noodle soup in Yokohama, Japan. Reuters

Children attend class in an improvised classroom in a house in Petare neighbourhood, Venezuela's largest slum, in Caracas. AFP

An employee puts some samples taken to detect the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) inside a refrigerator of the Synlab laboratory at the El Dorado airport in Bogota, Colombia. Reuters

A mannequin wearing a face mask decorates a balcony in a shop in Barcelona, Spain. AP Photo

Canada's Governor General Julie Payette, followed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, bumps elbows with Chief Justice Richard Wagner as she arrive to deliver the Throne Speech in the Senate, as parliament prepares to resume in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Reuters

People look at Frank Valdivia and Rocio Pereyra dance Marinera, a typical dance from the Peruvian coast, on the beach in the Chorrillos district of Lima, Peru. AP Photo

A model presents a creation by Fendi's Spring/Summer 2021 women's and men's collection during the Milan Fashion Week. AFP

People sit outside Cafe Du Soliel under bubble tents in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, USA. Reuters

Photos of Seattle Mariners fans cheering are shown in the stands of T-Mobile Park during the ninth inning of the Mariners' final home baseball game of the regular season in Seattle. AP Photo

A worker labors near a sign which reads "Hi Beijing, Auto China 2020" ahead of the Auto China 2020 show to be held in Beijing. AP Photo

Pilots wave from the cockpit as they prepare to depart flying the first Qantas flight between Sydney and Adelaide since Covid-19 border restrictions were lifted, at Sydney Domestic Airport in Sydney, Australia. EPA

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, repeated the EU’s commitment to make the continent climate-neutral by 2050 and to invest hundreds of billions of euros in climate goals.

“I am determined for the European Union to work together with all our partners across the world,” Ms von der Leyen said.

“We want to show the responsible green transition will be good for people and for business. We want to show its attraction and benefit for every nation."

Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou highlighted the effect of climate change on the desert nations of the Sahel.

“These extreme climate events have once again attested to the fact that climate change poses a real threat to our shared home Earth and poses a real threat to our civilisation, specifically in the Sahel region,” Mr Issoufou said.

“Here in the Sahel region, more than 67 million people live in vulnerable areas that have been afflicted by both soil erosion and desertification.

"These trends have been compounded by the fact that agriculture represents the cornerstone of the economies.”

He called for greater assistance for African nations in the battle against climate change, saying the continent had the lowest levels of greenhouse emissions.