The entire globe is waking up to the challenges faced by climate change, all thanks to the incredible work of the Maldives, says United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu.
Assistant Secretary Lu arrived in the Maldives on a short visit earlier this week, during which he sat down with RaajjeTV for an exclusive interview.
When questioned what outcome the government of U.S. expects from the COP26 Summit held in Glasgow, Scotland this year, Assistant Secretary Lu stressed that the bigger economies of the world represented by world leaders such as the U.S., require to “do more”.
Highlighting that COP26 was all about setting goals for ourselves by 2030, 2050 and even by 2070, Assistant Secretary Lu stated that the aim is to ensure these goals are ambitious.
We want to be bold. I can see that the Maldives is one of the boldest and most ambitious countries on the planet.”Donald Lu, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs.
Further, he expressed belief that countries that represent the big economies of the world, need to do more, going on to express gratitude to Maldivian president, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid for their leadership.
With this being said, Assistant Secretary Lu stated that “we are all waking up to the challenge we face on climate, thanks to the incredible work of the Maldives”.
Speaking in regard to the goals of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) such as the Maldives to be achieved at COP26, including the maintenance of climate temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius, Assistant Secretary Lu expressed his expectations for what can be done with joint cooperation, adding that the U.S. wants to be a responsible global partner.
Shedding light on the U.S. government’s priorities for these goals, Assistant Secretary Lu stated that on his first day as American president, Joe Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which is one of his top priorities for his administration that we work together on climate.
The U.S. government carries plans to reduce greenhouse emissions by 50 percent, by 2030.
The Assistant Secretary also revealed that the American government has announced the provision of half a billion USD in green infrastructure in the U.S. and around the world, through the “Build Back World Infrastructure” initiative.
