UNGA President urges action to stop global "tragedy" at Expo Dubai 2020

Abdullah Shahid, President of the United Nations General Assembly and Foreign Minister of the Maldives, called for immediate action to avert a "climate tragedy", on the second day of the Dubai World Expo 2020 Climate and Biodiversity Week. 

Delivering his opening remarks for the People's Promise for Climate Impact event, which began on Sunday and concluded on Monday, Abdullah Shahid warned of the climate problem itself: "When we talk about climate change, we can no longer afford to fall into the illusion that we are talking about a distant threat that policymakers can negotiate at their own pace. We cannot deny what is happening right in front of us ... the effects of human-induced climate change are clear for all to see.

"It is our responsibility to recognise the gravity of the situation and, having said that, it is also our responsibility not to give in to cynicism or to give credence that climate tragedy is inevitable. Hope, when combined with action and change, is indeed the winning formula, and we must embrace it," he said.

The People's Pledge for Climate Impact brings together young change-makers and notable climate leaders to provide a wide range of perspectives on how to collectively scale positive action.

Climate and Biodiversity Week is the first of 10 Thematic Weeks that will take place over the next six months, and is the foundation of the Expo 2020 People and Planet Programme.
 

Text, photos and video: Expo Dubai 2020