The world needs to resolve three global problems, namely the war in Ukraine, the downturn in the global economy, and the worsening climate change, in order to overcome the converging crises. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made the remarks at the Berlin Policy Dialogue 2022 in Berlin on Monday, according to a statement released here on Tuesday.

“It is quite clear we are now living in a divided geopolitical world — a world where the West and Russia, and also China, are locked in contentious rivalries and mistrust,” he said.

According to Yudhoyono, the US and China both have great resources and are powerful solution providers, but they are underperforming when it comes to bilateral cooperation that would be beneficial for the world.

The world cannot just wait for a miscalculation or unexpected incidents to happen on the ground, which could lead to a major war, he said.

“We cannot fully rule out the prospect of a ‘hybrid’ World War III and the potential use of nuclear weapons,” he added.

“If we want to find the best solution in Ukraine, I really hope that world leaders would lower their egos for the sake of our world,” he said.

The world has been unexpectedly hit by the devastating impacts of the Ukraine war on three fronts: food, energy, and finance, he noted. Further, global economic growth is declining, global debt is skyrocketing, and inflation is rising significantly.

To overcome these economic problems, international cooperation — no matter how difficult in a divided world — is a must, Yudhoyono stressed.

When the world was hit by the global financial crisis, the G20 economies successfully resolved the problem by working together, hand-in-hand. Today, the G20 faces a serious dilemma on how to effectively tackle global challenges when rivalries and division rule the day,” he added.

In terms of climate change, he said his biggest concern is that the world is getting diverted from the grand agenda of achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century.

The present geopolitical rivalries and economic downturn are taking away attention, momentum, and resources from the bold climate action that is urgently required, especially on part of major emitters, to increase emission reduction targets and align with the 1.5 degrees pathway, and allocate massive investment for the green transition and green needs, he added.

“If we fail to take bold climate actions in this decade, our window of opportunity to reach a net-zero world will close permanently,” he cautioned.

Source: Antara News