Peace is necessary to save the planet, Cuba says at COP28

Dubai, (Prensa Latina) Peace is necessary to save the planet, expressed the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, while rejecting Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people when speaking on Friday at the World Climate Action Summit.

 

“A little more than two thousand kilometres from here, a genocide occurs in Gaza. On behalf of Cuba, we categorically condemn the escalation of violence and terror unleashed against the inhabitants of that strip of land in occupied Palestine,” was the beginning of the Caribbean president's speech.

 

During the event that is part of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of 2023 (COP28), he welcomed the decision adopted that operationalizes the loss and damage fund.

 

Likewise, he welcomed the commitments announced to begin capitalizing it, but warned that they are still insufficient for the needs of developing countries.

 

“Science has repeatedly warned us about the catastrophic consequences of increasing global temperatures. Ignoring it would be the most costly mistake of the human species,” he stressed.

 

The Cuban president considered that reversing this situation is clearly everyone's task, but only developed nations are in a position to achieve the most ambitious reductions in their emissions and support the actions of the South with means of implementation.

 

He mentioned that, in the path since the Paris Conference, developing countries have promoted numerous climate actions, but solidarity has been lacking and the commitments of these nations have not materialized in accordance with their historical capacities and responsibilities.

 

He warned that they continue to encourage their extraction of fossil fuels and the intention to double their consumption by 2030. These realities undermine the climate of trust that should prevail among nations, he stressed.

 

Humanity's right to exist must be the main motivation for discussions. COP28, which will conclude the first global assessment on the implementation of the Paris Agreement, is a unique opportunity to correct the course of collective efforts to confront climate change, he considered.

 

Count on the contribution of the Group of 77 and China, which Cuba is honoured to preside over, he stated.

 

Although the Caribbean island contributes less than 0.1 percent of global emissions, he ratified the commitment to implement our nationally determined contribution and to advance an energy transition strategy for a much more resilient and low-carbon development model.

 

We will do so despite the limitations imposed by the intensified blockade of the United States government, he said.

 

Before concluding, he brought up the Earth Summit, held in 1992, during which Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz ended by warning: “Tomorrow will be too late to do what we should have done a long time ago.”

 

That tomorrow is today, and the clock is ticking, he concluded.