{"id":40674,"date":"2025-09-27T08:34:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T08:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/40674\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T08:34:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T08:34:11","slug":"sinking-islands-vanishing-forests-world-leaders-call-for-urgent-climate-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/40674\/","title":{"rendered":"Sinking islands, vanishing forests: World leaders call for urgent climate action"},"content":{"rendered":"

Their appeals, sharpened by rising seas, failed harvests and disappearing ecosystems, echoed Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres<\/a>\u2019s warning at a climate summit<\/a> that the world is already in the \u201cdawn of a new energy era\u201d \u2013 one where clean energy must replace fossil fuels, and where finance and justice remain at the heart of the global response.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bottom-line: clean is competitive and climate action is imperative,\u201d he declared<\/a>, calling for \u201cdramatic emissions cuts\u201d aligned with 1.5\u00b0C goal of the landmark Paris Agreement<\/a> on climate change, agreed by all nations in 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know it can be done … COP30 in Brazil must conclude with a credible global response plan to get us on track,\u201d he added, referring to the 30th UN climate change conference in November, which aims to accelerate global efforts to limit temperature rise and advance commitments on emissions, adaptation and climate finance.<\/p>\n

The UN chief\u2019s urgency provided the backdrop as world leaders presented compelling accounts of climate peril and promise on the second day of the Assembly\u2019s annual general debate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Spain \u2013 Accelerate energy transition<\/p>\n

\"King<\/p>\n

King Felipe VI of Spain addresses the general debate of the General Assembly\u2019s eightieth session.<\/p>\n

The \u201ctriple planetary crisis\u201d \u2013 climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss \u2013 featured prominently in the address by King Felipe VI of Spain, who underscored that governments must accelerate a just energy transition.<\/p>\n

He pressed for tripling renewable capacity, doubling efficiency and advancing decarbonisation in time for COP30, where Spain hopes to see consensus and ambition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese objectives are as ambitious as they are necessary,\u201d he said, cautioning that hesitation can no longer be part of the global equation.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Watch the address.<\/a><\/p>\n

Panama \u2013 Nature, the first line of defense<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino Quintero of Panama addresses the general debate of the General Assembly\u2019s eightieth session.<\/p>\n

For Panama, which has long championed conservation despite contributing little to global emissions, the call was for integrated action.<\/p>\n

President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino Quintero unveiled the country\u2019s \u2018Nature Pledge,\u2019 a single framework, uniting commitments on climate, biodiversity and land.<\/p>\n

He stressed that as a carbon-negative country, Panama will go even further by restoring 100,000 hectares of priority ecosystems, from mangroves to watersheds.<\/p>\n

\u201cNature is our first line of defense against climate change,\u201d he said, linking national resilience to global solidarity.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Watch the address.<\/a><\/p>\n

Comoros \u2013 Small island, big stakes<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Azali Assoumani of Comoros addresses the general debate of the General Assembly\u2019s eightieth session.<\/p>\n

In the Indian Ocean, the Comoros faces a different frontline.<\/p>\n

President Azali Assoumani spoke of rising seas, coastal erosion and intensifying cyclones that threaten the archipelago\u2019s villages and ecosystems.<\/p>\n

He urged equitable, simplified access to climate finance, insisting that small island states cannot wait on cumbersome mechanisms while their homes wash away.<\/p>\n

At the same time, he highlighted his country\u2019s \u2018Emerging Comoros Plan,\u2019 built on renewable potential, blue economy resources and digital transition.<\/p>\n

But without international support, he warned, such plans risk being hampered by debt and global inaction.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Watch the address.<\/a><\/p>\n

Namibia \u2013 Linking climate action to desertification<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of Namibia addresses the general debate of the General Assembly\u2019s eightieth session.<\/p>\n

Namibia\u2019s President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah tied climate impacts directly to her country\u2019s daily struggles, citing prolonged droughts and floods that have dried rivers and disrupted lives.<\/p>\n

She announced Namibia\u2019s bid to host the Africa regional hub of the Green Climate Fund, positioning the country as a bridge for climate finance on the continent.<\/p>\n

And she reinforced the need to implement the \u2018Namib Declaration\u2019 to combat land degradation, linking climate action with the fight against desertification.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Watch the address.<\/a><\/p>\n

Guyana \u2013 Nature\u2019s tangible value<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Mohamed Irfaan Ali of Guyana addresses the general debate of the General Assembly\u2019s eightieth session.<\/p>\n

In South America, Guyana\u2019s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali emphasised that climate and development cannot be separated.<\/p>\n

He described how his country is protecting forests, strengthening sea defenses and advancing a low carbon development strategy to prove that economic growth can go hand-in-hand with environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n

Guyana, he noted, has become a seller of carbon credits under international standards, showing that \u201cnature has tangible value.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Watch the address.<\/a><\/p>\n

Marshall Islands \u2013 Promises won\u2019t save sinking atolls<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Hilda Heine of Marshall Islands addresses the general debate of the General Assembly\u2019s eightieth session.<\/p>\n

For the Marshall Islands, a Pacific nation of more than 1,200 islands and 29 coral atolls climate change is a question of survival.<\/p>\n

President Hilda Heine delivered one of the day\u2019s most urgent interventions, warning that promises alone cannot save sinking atolls.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve heard the promises \u2013 but promises don\u2019t reclaim land in atolls. They don\u2019t develop mangrove defenses, shore up our hospitals and schools against rising seas or preserve cultural stability tied to land that is slipping under waves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose things require money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Heine pressed the international community to close the trillion-dollar climate finance gap, particularly for adaptation and loss and damage.<\/p>\n

As COP30 approaches, she said nations must not only honor their pledges but also deliver stronger plans that show a clear pathway to phasing out fossil fuels and halving global emissions within this decade.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Watch the address.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Their appeals, sharpened by rising seas, failed harvests and disappearing ecosystems, echoed Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres\u2019s warning at a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40675,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[242,85,46,141],"class_list":["post-40674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40674\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}