Gutterres warns of climate disaster if world leaders take no action
The UN Secretary General has warned that the world is on track to climate disaster, should the world leaders fail to take immediate action.
Antoinio Gutterres made the remarks in response to the 2022 report on climate change released on Monday in New York
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has cautioned in its latest report that climate change caused by global warming could go beyond the 1.5 degrees limit.
Scientists have also warned that global warming could surpass 3 degrees Celsius by the end of the current 21st century.
The planet is already around 1.1 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels.
“This report shows that 2020 was another unprecedented year of extreme weather and climate disaster, the cost is clear climate change,” Gutterres said during the launch of a report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in New York.
“Climate disruption caused by human activities, human decisions and human lies and the effects are disasters.
“The date in this report should alarm us all, 2020 was 1.2 degree Celsius hotter than pre-industrial times. We are getting dangerously close to the 1.5 limit that was set by the scientific community.”
Gutterres also added that, to avoid the worst impact on climate change, world leaders must work to limit global temperature within 1.5 degree Celsius.
“Science tell us we must limit global tempers rise within 1.5 degree within 1.5 of the pre-industrial baseline, that means reducing global green gashouse, gas ignition by 45% from 2010 level by 2030 and reaching net zero ignition by 2050 and we are away off track line,” Gutterres said.
“This must be the year for action, the make it or break it year.”
“First, we must agree on a common direction of travel, United Nations has been pushing for a global coalition committee to cover all countries, cities, regions, businesses and financial institutions.
“Second, the next ten years need to be a decade of transformation. Countries need to submit ambitions to determine contribution that was defined in the Paris agreement.”
The UN body also welcomed the significant decrease in the cost of renewable energy sources since 2010, by as much as 85 per cent for solar and wind energy, and batteries.
