RIO DE JANEIRO –
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday urged leaders of the Group of 20 major economies to accelerate their national climate targets, calling on them to reach net zero climate emissions five to 10 years ahead of schedule.
Opening the last session of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Lula suggested countries bring forward their targets to reach climate neutrality by 2040 or 2045, instead of 2050, as Brazil and many others have pledged.
„We have to do more and better,“ Lula said, noting that this is likely the world’s warmest year on record as climate disasters such as flooding and droughts become more frequent and intense. „There is no time to lose,“ he added.