Environment, Guterres To World Leaders: “The Future Is In Your Hands”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a heartfelt call for a climate summit.

“The future of humanity is in your hands. The summit will not change anything, but today could be an important moment for the impetus that we will develop in the coming months,” he explained, addressing world leaders.

Extreme weather events have become more frequent in recent months, from floods to droughts, and extreme heat is affecting agriculture across the planet. The green transition requires countless projects to be translated into specific actions. “If nothing changes,” Guterres continued, “we are heading towards a 2.8 degree rise in temperature, towards a dangerous and unstable world. But the future depends on leaders; we can still limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.”

Guterres has set the goals: “I call on governments to act quickly to ensure that developed countries reach zero emissions as close as possible to 2040, and developing economies as close as possible to 2050, achieving a fair and equitable energy transition, while providing electricity at prices affordable for all,”

The debate centers on developing countries and their “right” to pollute after industrialized countries have been emitting climate-changing gases into the atmosphere for decades. “Many of the poorest countries have every right to be angry,” Guterres concluded. “The global financial system must be nudged to support climate action, and developed countries must meet the $100 billion commitment, replenish the Green Climate Fund, and double funding in order to get adjusted.”