(Quebec) François Legault is going to speak about the environment at the United Nations in New York next week, The Canadian Press has learned.
The Prime Minister was invited by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to attend the United Nations General Assembly and participate in the first Climate Ambition Summit.
It is extremely rare for a Prime Minister of Quebec to receive such an invitation, and the honor is seen in government offices as recognition of the efforts made by Quebec to fight climate change.
No other Canadian province was invited to this major event.
Obviously, Quebec stands out: the government likes to point out that Quebec produces the least greenhouse gas (GHG) per capita in North America and that 99% of its electricity comes from renewable sources.
It has also adopted a target of reducing its GHG emissions by 37.5% below their 1990 level by 2030, and is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050.
On May 19, the Legault government also announced an update of its Plan for a Green Economy which was accompanied by an envelope of 9 billion over five years.
Antonio Guterres believes that “climate collapse has begun”, as a world record temperature was reached during the summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
July and August were the hottest months on record, according to the European Copernicus Observatory.
The Climate Ambition Summit honors the leaders of states, civil society and businesses who are “leaders in implementing credible and concrete measures aimed at achieving the objective of 1 .5 degrees Celsius of the Paris Agreement and to bring climate justice to those hit hard by the climate crisis,” reads a United Nations explanatory document.
The Minister of the Environment, Benoit Charette, will accompany Prime Minister Legault to New York for three days next week, from Monday to Wednesday.
PHOTO FRANCIS VACHON, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Minister of the Environment Benoit Charette
Together, they will present Quebec’s main directions in the fight against climate change and will participate in a round table with members of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA), of which Quebec is a part.
The BOGA brings together the States which have renounced the exploitation and exploration of hydrocarbons on their territories.
It will be an opportunity to showcase Quebec on the international scene, it is said, also in the context where Prime Minister Legault is increasing the number of announcements concerning the development of the battery sector.
A major announcement is also planned on this subject with the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, in the coming weeks.
This presence of Prime Minister Legault at the United Nations is a first step before the 28e UN Climate Conference of the Parties (COP 28), which will take place from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.