On World Environment Day, Antonio Guterres called for immediate action from global leaders to secure a liveable future within the next 18 months
The Head of the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres once again firmly placed the climate change agenda on the global table, drawing the attention of the international community to this radically metastasising disaster. As the world’s top diplomat, the Secretary-General used his moral authority, to remind a divided world of a catastrophe that should unite us all.
In a special address on climate action on Wednesday, which is celebrated globally as World Environment Day, the UN Chief likened humankind’s outsized destructive impact on the climate to that of the meteorite that wiped out dinosaurs from Earth, saying “in the case of climate, we [humans] are not the dinosaurs. We are the meteor. We are not only in danger – we are the danger. But we are also the solution.”
Addressing the issue at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Guterres said that, “We are playing Russian roulette with our planet …. [and] we need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell, [while] we have control of the wheel.”
Last month was the hottest May ever recorded in history and the 12th straight month of record heat, as per a report from the European Commission Copernicus Climate Change Service. The UN World Meteorological Organisation has also reported an 80% chance that the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit, set by the Paris Agreement in 2015, will be exceeded within the next five years; with global emissions increasing by 1% last year.
Citing these reports, Guterres stressed the need for global emissions to decrease by 9% annually to maintain the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise limit above pre-industrial levels. Guterres stated that preventing climate catastrophe is still possible if decisive action is taken, particularly by political leaders over the next 18 months.
A half-degree difference in global warming could lead to the disappearance of some island states and coastal communities, catastrophic sea level rise, and the loss of entire coral reef systems, affecting 300 million livelihoods. Extreme weather events, fueled by climate chaos, are already devastating economies and health systems worldwide.
Criticising the oil and gas industry for “shamelessly greenwashing” and delaying climate action with the help of advertising and public relations companies, he exclaimed that “Despite the global impact, the Godfathers of climate chaos – the fossil fuel conglomerates – rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies.”
To stop this unmitigated disaster Guterres demanded that advertising and public relations companies “stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction. Stop taking on new fossil fuel clients, from today, and set out plans to drop your existing ones.”
Urging every country to ban fossil fuel ads, he emphasised that “economic logic makes the end of the fossil fuel age inevitable.”
Call to Action
To ensure a safe future for humanity and the planet, Guterres outlined the following urgent actions:
- Slash emissions
- Protect people and nature from climate extremes
- Boost climate finance
- Clamp down on the fossil fuel business
He emphasized that the greatest responsibility falls on the richest nations and largest emitters, stating that “Advanced G20 economies should go (the) furthest, fastest,” while also supporting developing nations technically and financially.
He added that national climate action plans must align with the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit and include absolute emission reduction targets for 2030, 2035, and beyond; urging that “Every country must deliver and play their rightful part … We need cooperation, not finger-pointing.”
Standing firm Guterres said the “United Nations is all in – working to build trust, find solutions, and inspire the cooperation our world so desperately needs.”
He concluded the special address, amidst loud applause with a poignant call to climate action, saying “Now is the time to mobilise, now is the time to act, now is the time to deliver. This is our moment of truth.”
