Iran criticises UNSC for lack of capacity to address climate change

Iran's deputy ambassador to the United Nations Es'hagh Al-e-Habib has criticized the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for lacking the legal capacity to address climate change.

Iran Press/America: Iran's deputy ambassador to the United Nations Es'hagh Al-e-Habib also said that while climate-related disasters occur everywhere, their impact on the lives of people differs widely. 

"According to recent reports of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, people in the poorest nations were seven times more likely to be injured in such a disaster than those in the richest countries," Al-e-Habib added.

According to an Iran Press report, Es'hagh Al-e-Habib said: "The international community must vigorously strive to address climate change, but should do so based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility as well as the availability of related technologies."

Warning against any attempt to undermine relevant international instruments — including through withdrawals — Al-e-Habib called for more effort to empower developing countries, especially those most vulnerable to climate disasters.

Al-e-Habib concluded by saying: "Such goals should be pursed in the appropriate forums — including the Climate Change Convention, the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council — not in the Security Council, which lacks both the legal competence and the technical capacity to address the issue and should avoid making promises of solutions it cannot ultimately deliver." 

On 16 September, UN Chief called for more decisive leadership to implement the Paris Climate Agreement.

Related News:

UN secretary general calls for enactment of Paris climate agreement

On June 2017, the US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would withdraw from the deal that was signed by 200 countries, after many years of negotiations.

The US Administration exited the Paris Climate Agreement after Trump announcement.

This short-sighted decision was opposed by more than 550 state legislators from 45 states with a total population of over 298 million constituents.

Although US President declared climate change a hoax and isolated America as the only federal government in the world not to embrace the Paris Agreement, individual states in US are concerned about climate change.

US is the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter and US government is a major obstacle in climate negotiations.

The United States is undermining the success of the Paris agreement. It’s not just that Trump announced his intent to withdraw from the accord. The Trump administration has gone as far as to gleefully taunt delegates at COP24 with a panel promoting the use of more coal. 101/ 211 /201

Read More:

Trump won't back down on Paris climate deal

FAO warns about climate change-related disasters in Uganda

World leaders trying to make a climate deal in Poland despite Trump

Dozens arrested after climate protests in London