Mia MottleyandEmmanuel Macron

Opinion | A chance for a green transition that delivers more for people and the planet

Equitable ecological transitions that leave no one behind can be a powerful force for alleviating poverty and supporting inclusive and sustainable development, but this requires long-term investment everywhere

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People navigate through a flooded road after heavy monsoon rains in Nasirabad, in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province, on August 22, 2022. Developing countries need the help of the developed world to mitigate the effects of disasters driven by climate change. Photo: AP

Mia MottleyandEmmanuel Macron

Published: 4:30pm, 21 Jun 2023Updated: 7:58pm, 21 Jun 2023

We are urgently working to deliver more for people and the planet. Multiple, overlapping shocks have strained countries’ ability to address hunger, poverty and inequality, build resilience and invest in their futures. Debt vulnerabilities in low- and middle-income countries present a major hurdle to their economic recovery, and to their ability to make critical long-term investments.

We are urgently working to fight poverty and inequalities. An estimated 120 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty in the past three years, and we are still far from achieving our United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. We should thus place people at the centre of our strategy to increase human welfare everywhere on the globe.

We want a system that better addresses development needs and vulnerabilities, now heightened by climate risks, which could further weaken countries’ ability to eliminate poverty and achieve inclusive economic growth. Climate change will generate larger and more frequent disasters, and disproportionately affect the poorest, most vulnerable populations around the world. These challenges cross borders and pose existential risks to societies and economies.

We want our system to deliver more for the planet. The transition to a “net zero” world and the goals of the Paris Agreement present an opportunity for this generation to unlock a new era of sustainable global economic growth. We believe that just ecological transitions that leave no one behind can be a powerful force for alleviating poverty and supporting inclusive and sustainable development.

This requires long-term investment everywhere to ensure that all countries are able to seize this opportunity. Inspired by the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, we also need new economic models which recognise the immense value of nature for humanity.

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We are convinced that poverty reduction and protection of the planet are converging objectives. We must prioritise just and inclusive transitions to ensure that the poor and most vulnerable can fully reap the benefits of this opportunity, rather than disproportionally bearing the cost.