NEW YORK (GOLDENHORN AGENCY) – In the run-up to COP26, the world’s largest and most influential climate conference set to convene on October 31 in Glasgow, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his fears as well as hopes for the world’s climate future. The UN chief reiterated the urgency in meeting previously set climate goals. Last week, in an online press conference with members of the Covering Climate Now international project, Guterres commented that the current climate situation is dire. He said that current reports “show a pathway of at least 2.7 degrees C heating above pre-industrial levels, and that’s obviously a one-way ticket to disaster.” Guterres added: “The carbon pollution of a handful of countries has brought humanity to its knees and they bear the greatest responsibility.” The UN chief further commented: “I hope we are still on time to avoid a failure in Glasgow, but time is running short, and things are getting more difficult and that is why I’m very very worried. I’m afraid things might get wrong.”
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, at the launch of the Emissions Gap 2021 Report news conference, Guterres said: “The era of half measures and hollow promises must end.” The report stated that to avert a future climate disaster that the world needs to halve annual greenhouse gas emissions in the next eight years. Guterres labeled the report’s conclusion as “another thundering wake-up call.” The UN chief added that it’s now up to world leaders to show up at COP26 with “bold, time-bound, front-loaded plans to reach net zero.” He pointed out that the “actions – or inactions – will show their seriousness about addressing this planetary emergency,” referring to world leaders. Analysts and experts have highlighted earth’s glaring warning signs for decades as Guterres highlighted: species becoming extinct, pollution that is responsible for nine million deaths annually, soaring temperatures turning farmland into drought-ridden landscape, rising sea levels in cities and entire countries. Guterres warned that as these events increase that they will render the planet uninhabitable in the not too distant future
In addition, he emphasized that a new report from The Lancet labeled climate change as the “defining narrative of human health” in future decades which will be a crisis characterized by widespread hunger, respiratory illness, deadly disasters and infectious disease outbreaks that could even be worse than COVID-19. The UN chief referred to the Emissions Gap Report that said governments actions do not include taking enough drastic action to combat the climate crisis. He reiterated that if the situation continues as it is that the world will “still be on track for a global temperature rise of 2.7 degrees Celsius.” Guterres said it is possible to achieve a 45 percent global emissions reduction then the goal of remaining at 1.5 degrees Celsius to achieve global net-zero by 2050 would be achieveable. He added that G20 leaders especially need to deliver on their commitments. He commented: “If governments – especially G20 governments – do not stand up and lead this effort, we are headed for terrible human suffering.” The Executive Director of the UN Environment Program Inger Andersen said in the report that climate change is no longer a future problem but it is a “now” problem. Andersen added: “The world has to wake up to the imminent peril we face as a species. We need to go firm. We need to go fast. And we need to start doing it now.”
