Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
25 September 2021
Friends,
I am so excited to be here with you.
I wish I could sing… but you’ll have to settle for my remarks.
Don’t worry, I will be very brief.
My message is this: do not be a cynic. Do not give up hope.
Yes, climate change is the greatest threat we have ever faced. It literally threatens the existence of our species.
But never doubt the ability of humankind to do the right thing when their backs are against the wall, as ours most certainly are.
I come from the Maldives, one of the first countries that could be impacted by sea level rise. The Maldives, and other small island states, could disappear underwater by the end of this century if the world does not act quickly and cohesively to combat climate change and the catastrophic effects of more than 1.5 degrees of global warming .
I have placed my bet on humankind.
I put my faith in science.
I put my trust in good reason and sensibility.
To world leaders, I ask you to RAISE your climate ambition that is necessary for a resilient, sustainable and net-zero emissions future, by taking action now to put us on a pathway to cut global emissions in half by 2030.
And I ask wealthy countries to deliver on their promise five years ago to provide $100 billion every year in climate funding for developing countries. Half of this must go towards adaptation to climate change’s impacts already felt today.
To every one of you out there, I ask you to choose optimism. To choose change; change how you consume, how you commute, and how you live.
We must each OWN the climate crisis. It affects all of us. We can’t go back to how things were before this pandemic; we have to build back better.
We can do this, but only if we do it together. And I believe we have it in us to pull through.
Thank you.
We must each OWN the climate crisis. It affects all of us. We can’t go back to how things were before this pandemic; we have to build back better.
