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Remarks by the President of the General Assembly\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock<\/strong><\/p>\n at the<\/strong> Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Environment Assembly<\/strong><\/p>\n 11 December 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n Nairobi, Kenya<\/strong><\/p>\n [Recorded\/As <\/strong>delivered<\/strong>]<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n Ladies and gentlemen,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Like so many of you, I have just returned from COP30 in Bel\u00e9m.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I left Bel\u00e9m with two emotions: optimism and urgency.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Optimism, because, despite all the global headwinds, we have reached a positive tipping point; science and technology have finally given us the tools we need \u2014 from rapidly scaling renewables to precision mapping of our planet\u2019s biodiversity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Urgency, because the world is still doing far too little with the advances before us.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We admire the solutions, but we do not yet invest in them adequately.<\/p>\n We window-shop when we should be investing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ladies and gentlemen,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The numbers speak for themselves \u2014 and they are unforgiving.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Climate disasters cost 200 billion dollars every single year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One million species are at risk of extinction.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And the world produces over 2 billion tonnes of municipal waste annually.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is not a warning light. It is a full alarm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is time for actions that match our convictions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Time to confront the triple planetary crisis \u2014 climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution \u2014 with seriousness equal to the scale of the threat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That means resources. It means skills. It means cooperation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On each of these fronts, I commend the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Environment Programme and this Assembly for pushing forward despite geopolitical headwinds and global gridlock.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Because of tireless advocates, we have the frameworks to deliver:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On climate: the Paris Agreement and the imperative of 1.5 degrees.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On biodiversity: the Kunming\u2013Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and its bold 30×30 pledge.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On pollution: a Global Framework on Chemicals and ongoing negotiations toward a legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These are not just agreements. They are commitments. And they are roadmaps.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As I said in Bel\u00e9m, progress is rarely linear. It comes in ebbs and flows.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our task \u2014 the task of every champion in this room \u2014 is to push hardest when progress slows.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To hold the line when momentum fades.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To remember that the next breakthrough, the next surge in renewables, the next turning point, may be just beyond the horizon.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With that spirit, I wish you positive, constructive, and above all hopeful deliberations. And I look forward to the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n More about Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵEA7<\/a><\/p>\n Full Broadcast Here<\/a><\/p>\n