Resolution: The UNGA Calls for Carbon Sequestration

*The Earth’s atmosphere is a thin, fragile, finite global commons whose fate is now in our hands.*

In Resolution 76/300 of 28 July 2022, the United Nations General Assembly recognized for the first time the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.¹

YET, THE ACHIEVEMENT OF A CLEAN, HEALTHY, AND SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT IS INCREASINGLY IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN UNLESS STATES BEGIN TO REMOVE CO2 FROM THE GLOBAL ATMOSPHERE.

A recent IPCC report clearly states that removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is essential to meet the Paris Agreement’s looming climate targets.² Reacting to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, UN Secretary-General Guterres insisted that unless governments everywhere reassess their energy policies, the world will become uninhabitable.³ An Oxford University Report recently stated, “Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) from the atmosphere is crucial to limit global warming, in addition to rapid cuts to emissions.”⁴

So, building on Res. 76/300 and statements by the IPCC and UNSG, the following draft UNGA Resolution is proposed that specifically calls for all member-states of the United Nations, especially the developed or Industrialized ones, to accelerate research, development, and deployment of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Negative Emission Technologies (NETS); these technologies are now necessary since we are still placing over 40 billion tons of CO2 annually in the Global Atmosphere.⁵ This is simply unsustainable; as an October 2022 UNEP states:

“As growing climate change impacts are experienced across the globe, the message that greenhouse gas emissions must fall is unambiguous. Yet the Emissions Gap Report (EGR) 2022: The Closing Window – Climate crisis calls for rapid transformation of societies finds that the international community is falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1.5°C in place. Only an urgent system-wide transformation can avoid climate disaster.⁶“

The Earth’s atmosphere is a thin, fragile, finite global commons whose fate is now in our hands. So, there must be active and IMMEDIATE MITIGATION AS WELL AS SEQUESTRATION EFFORTS to prevent a catastrophic global temperature rise caused by excessive CO2 and other (GHGs) in the Earth’s Atmosphere. Given the dire warnings by the UNSG, the IPCC, and UNEP, the following draft UNGA resolution is proposed as a first step to activating the UN membership to begin the rapid research, development, and deployment of CDR and NETS in order to prevent a dangerous global rise in temperatures: Carbon Sequestration as a Critical Contribution to Mitigating Climate Change.

PROPOSED DRAFT RESOLUTION: MITIGATING GLOBAL TEMPERATURE RISE

–Addressed to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
Recognizing that climate change poses dire consequences and threats to the stability of humanity as well as the Earth’s biodiversity and ecosystems,

Realizing that greenhouse gas (GHG) levels are at an all-time high and the world is not doing enough to act,

Realizing that we are beyond the point where massive reductions or cuts in carbon use will not happen in time,

Recognizing that anthropogenic climate change and massive levels of GHGs and associated pollution have led to increases in temperatures well beyond the expected levels outlined in the 2015 Paris Accord,

Resolves that hypothetical problems with deploying CDR or NETS or other carbon sequestration techniques must not be used to deny or delay actual experimentation and progress in these areas, and realizes that an evidence-based approach is now essential,

Reaffirming further its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, in which it adopted a comprehensive, far-reaching, and people-centered set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals and targets, its commitment to working tirelessly for the full implementation of the Agenda by 2030 ensuring that no one is left behind, its recognition that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, and its commitment to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and integrated manner,⁷

Recalling States’ obligations and responsibilities under multilateral environmental instruments and agreements, including on climate change, and the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012, and its outcome document entitled “The future we want,”⁸ which reaffirmed the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development,

Recognizing that by 2030, global scenarios that limit warming to 2°C or lower indicate [require] additional Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) of 0.96 (0 to 3.4) GtCO₂ per year, compared with 2020. By contrast, countries have pledged an additional 0.1 to 0.65 GtCO₂ by 2030 in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – a range corresponding to unconditional and conditional NDCs. This suggests there is already an emerging CDR gap by 2030:⁹

Calls upon all member-states, especially the developed and industrialized ones, to expand significantly their planned research, development, and deployment of CDR and NETS in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2030;

Calls upon the developed and industrialized nations that have contributed over two-thirds of all greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the Global Atmosphere¹⁰ to expand—in proportion to their contribution of GHGs—the research, development, and deployment of CSU and NETS immediately. In doing so, the per capita emissions of states with large populations should be fully considered.

Chapter VIII of the Charter of the United Nations calls upon regional organizations to each fund, research, develop and deploy sui generis methods of CDR or NETS to promote sustainable development and maintain international peace and security in their regions. It should be noted that such development and deployment by regional organizations could be a significant job creator and employment multiplier with the support of funding from regional organizations, NGOs, foundations, and member-state sources.¹¹

Calls upon the UNEP and the Global Adaptation Network (GANS) to expand its worldwide platform to distribute and exchange climate change adaptation knowledge by storing, sharing, and distributing adaptation knowledge and expertise concerning CDR and NETs with states and appropriate government agencies of UN member states to accelerate action on climate adaptation.

Calls upon the IPCC to create a task force to analyze all research and developments dealing with carbon sequestration, CDR, and NETS and report to the UNGA and UNEP about the most promising results.

Asks the Office of the UN Secretary-General to prepare a report, to be shared with all members of the UNGA at their next fall annual session, that outlines the progress that member states and regional organizations, as well as the UN system as a whole is making to promote CDR and NETS, as well as outlines what more needs to be done to prevent runaway global climate change.Calls upon member states and the UN to begin using Online Meeting Platforms and video meetings to replace transcontinental or intercontinental jet flights to short-term conferences on the environment or global climate change. The carbon footprint of such short-term conferences, occurring since the Rio Summit over thirty years ago, has contributed to a significant carbon footprint created by representatives who, ironically, are gathering together to plan or protest global climate change.

Calls upon all member states of the United Nations to revisit this issue in the annual fall meeting and recommend new resolutions on this issue, if necessary, to accelerate research, development, and deployment of CDR and NETs to achieve the goals of limiting the increase of the Earth temperature set by the Paris Agreement of 2015.

PROPOSED DRAFT RESOLUTION: MITIGATING GLOBAL TEMPERATURE RISE

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