Speaking at a university in Brazil’s capital, Simon Stiell said global heating was “dangerously high,” but that real progress had been made since the landmark Paris Agreement.
He conceded many countries would miss a February 10 deadline to submit their next round of climate plans — giving them until September to deliver “first-rate” emissions roadmaps.
Brazil is set to host the next global climate conference, COP30, in November.
“We are already headed in the right direction. We just have to implement, and implement more and faster,” said the former Grenadan environment minister.
Quickly after his White House return, President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Paris deal for the second time.
“A country may step back –- but others are already stepping into their place to seize the opportunity, and to reap the massive rewards: stronger economic growth, more jobs, less pollution and far lower health costs, more secure and affordable energy,” said Stiell.
He said economic reality would drive action, with climate investment now at $2 trillion.
Self-interest, he said, “above all other factors, is why the clean energy shift is now unstoppable: because of the colossal scale of economic opportunity it presents.”
Climate costs
Only a handful of countries have so far submitted their climate plans, including Brazil and Britain, with big emitters China and the European Union expected to follow later in the year.
