UN’s Patricia Espinosa on the Paris Agreement: After Paris, ‘we didn’t see strong levels of ambition coming from parties’

UN Climate Change Executive Security Patricia Espinosa joins Yahoo Finance’s Akiko Fujita to discuss the impacts of the 2015 Paris Agreement as well as the building inequities countries face and how regions have been impacted differently due to climate change.

Video transcript

AKIKO FUJITA: It has been roughly five years since the Paris Agreement was signed. And member countries will gather this November in Glasgow to discuss how to implement the changes after putting forth their emissions targets tied to the agreement.

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinoza says the pressure is now on developed countries. She says they simply haven't done enough to lift emerging countries and help them with that transition to the green economy. I spoke with her ahead of the White House Summit and asked her where she thinks things stand five years after Paris. Take a listen.

PATRICIA ESPINOSA: I would say that what we have seen in the last years has been, yeah, a lack of leadership in really driving the process forward and trying to implement the Paris Agreement as soon as possible. I think that Paris was a very, very important moment in the process of addressing the climate emergency. But then after that, we didn't see really very strong levels of ambition coming forward from parties.

This year and we-- the re-entering of the US to the Paris Agreement, what we are hoping to see is finally, though, that leadership and the possibility of showing the world that governments, that the leaders of the world, are willing and determined to drive that very deep process of transformation forward towards a more sustainable, more healthy, and greener future.

AKIKO FUJITA: There's a real divide between what we have seen in developed countries and developing countries. Many emerging countries really have come out of this pandemic shouldering enormous amounts of debt. To what extent, as they look to invest in green energy, to what extent do you see the impacts from extreme climate exacerbating the inequities that already exist globally?

PATRICIA ESPINOSA: Well, you know, we always say that climate change is really a multiplier of every single challenge that humanity is facing. And yes, unfortunately, this means that the countries that are most vulnerable that are, you know, the poorer countries unfortunately really endure a lot of the costs and-- and of the negative consequences of climate change. I am encouraged to see that within the international financial institutions, the discussion is taking place on how to support those countries.

We need to remember that regarding climate change, as long as this transformation does not happen everywhere in the world, we all will be affected. Because of course, climate change does not recognize any borders. It doesn't recognize any kind of political signals. So we really need to be very conscious that if we are to overcome climate change, it means we need to do it all together.

AKIKO FUJITA: You talked about the help that is needed from the developed countries. And yet, you had those countries pledge back in 2009 to commit at least $100 billion a year in climate financing. They have not met those commitments. What specifically can the UN do to get more of the advanced nations on board, especially if it is a collective global effort?

PATRICIA ESPINOSA: I would say that in the case of the $100 billion, the mobilization of $100 billion by 2020 that was agreed over 10 years ago, it is really-- it has really become one of the most important elements to ensure a good outcome at COP26. It's not because that amount would really be enough or sufficient to drive that transformation. It has become something like a trust-building signal where developed countries need to-- would be sending the signal that they are actually willing to comply with the commitments that they make.

And I also want to underline that regarding support, yes, back then, the commitment to mobilize $100 billion was made but also to support developing countries in terms of capacity building and technology as well. And that-- those are two other areas that need to be addressed. This is the only way that we can create this momentum and this dynamic in-- globally that will for sure take us towards the goals of the Paris Agreement.

AKIKO FUJITA: We talk a lot about how climate change affects the way we live, but it also for many affects where they live. We've seen the UN put out this number of more than 20 million people being forced to leave their homes because of extreme climate in the current conditions. Which communities are you seeing that are most-- most vulnerable?

PATRICIA ESPINOSA: Well, look. For example, in the case of the Pacific Islands, right? The Pacific Islands, they know-- they are counting with the fact that they will be losing a lot of their land. And in some cases, they are even counting that they will be losing their territories altogether.

And there, I remember talking with the prime minister of Fiji, for example, where in Fiji they are already talking about legislation in order to give some status to people from neighboring countries, neighboring island countries, that would need to-- would probably come and seek a place to live in Fiji. That's-- that's one thing I can tell you.

In-- in Central America, which is, well, a reality I know because I come from Mexico, right? Central America has been hit by-- by very severe drought over the last years. And what has happened is that the migration flows from Central America towards the US through Mexico have just increased enormously.

And what does that mean? It means, you know, women, children traveling alone, being very vulnerable to-- to people trafficking with-- with them, with migrants, migrant organizations, organized crime. And they are being abused. They are being-- also, they take their money away. It's-- it's really very dramatic.

In the case of-- of Africa, for example, we-- the UN has also identified a linkage with-- between the Sahel region, the situation that has developed in the Sahel region, with migration over to Europe. And that's also, as we know, very, very dramatic. So we are seeing in this regard that climate change is-- becomes then not only a development issue purely economical, but also a security issue, an issue that relates to stability in many regions.