Bonjour. Good morning. It is a great pleasure to see you again.
I am pleased to be here with you today to launch this important report.
I have made climate change a top priority because it affects all of us.
Limiting global temperature rise is critical to sustainable development.
Member States have agreed that we cannot exceed 2-degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.
Beyond this limit, science indicates that we may face dangerous and irreversible climate disruption.
Yet, we know that we are not on track, and time is not on our side.
All countries need to act boldly to reach the 2 degrees target and strengthen resilience.
Next year, Member States have pledged to reach a meaningful universal legal climate agreement in Paris.
To accelerate political momentum and catalyze ambitious action on the ground, I have convened a Climate Summit on 23September .
I have invited leaders from governments, business, finance and civil society to showcase what they are doing to promote the transformative change we need.
The world needs to see what countries are doing to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
By seeing what is possible, others can take inspiration and follow suit.
The report we are launching today shows how we can achieve deep decarbonization.
Change is in the air.
Solutions exist.
The race is on, and it’s time to lead.
Deep decarbonization is feasible, but it requires global commitment to advancing key low-carbon energy technologies.
The Deep Decarbonization Pathway Project emphasizes three key pillars: energy efficiency, low-carbon electricity and fuel switching.
I expect countries to adopt different combinations according to their needs, resources and priorities.
But all countries need to embark on the same journey.
As Member States prepare for the Climate Summit and the Conference of Parties to the climate convention in Lima, in December this year, I hope this report will be widely discussed by policy makers and the public.
We will rely on the media, and I thank you for your presence today.
We need discussions on deep decarbonization in every city and country.
I am therefore pleased that Project will conduct workshops and roundtables around the world following the climate summit.
People need to understand why decarbonization is necessary.
They need to know it is possible.
And they need to see that cutting emissions can benefit economies and people’s well-being.
The researchers who have contributed to the national deep decarbonization pathways will listen to comments and continue to refine the pathways.
They will then prepare a full report that includes economic and policy analyses for spring 2015.
This is exactly the kind of practical problem-solving that we need to tackle climate change and achieve sustainable development.
I thank the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations, and all the research institutions that have contributed to the Deep Decarbonization Pathway Project report.
And I acknowledge the special roles played by SDSN Director Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Project Manager Emmanuel Guerin, the International Energy Agency and the 15 country teams that have drawn up the national pathways.
This is why I established the Sustainable Development Solutions Network in 2012.
I am delighted to see its efforts bearing fruit.
I thank you very much.