UN Secretary-General António Guterres says the world must immediately and drastically cut fossil fuel emissions to avert the most catastrophic effects of climate change, speaking at the COP31 summit in Antalya, Turkey.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said the world must immediately and drastically cut fossil fuel emissions to avert the most catastrophic effects of climate change, speaking Friday at the COP31 U.N. Climate Summit in Antalya, Turkey.
Guterres urged the world to “follow the science” and face hard facts. He told reporters:
“You cannot build peace on a burning planet,” Guterres said, stressing that climate change is central to the U.N.’s work because it contributes to geopolitical instability by driving hunger and displacement, pushing countries into debt and fueling competition for land and water.
“You cannot eradicate poverty when climate disasters keep throwing people back into it,” he added. “You cannot promise young people a better future while destroying the natural systems on which that future depends. And you cannot speak seriously about justice when those who did least to cause this crisis suffer first and worst.”
A goal introduced this year would increase the share of electricity in total global energy consumption from roughly 21% to 35% by 2035, preferably from renewable energy such as solar and wind. But it does not require that electricity be generated by renewable sources, meaning coal and other fossil fuels could be used, at least initially. Climate TRACE, which tracks global emissions via satellites, found that prioritizing clean energy would cut global emissions 14% compared to 7% if fossil fuels also are used for electrification.
Leaders of small island nations say climate change is a life-or-death matter for their people because rising seas are engulfing their lands. They say a U.N. fund created for compensating vulnerable nations must be urgently strengthened. Guterres said wealthier countries that have contributed most to climate change “must deliver the finance they have promised” at past summits — but also contribute much more.
“Let us be clear about the scale of the gap,” he said. “Even tripling adaptation finance would meet less than 30 percent of what is needed.”
A report released Thursday by the independent Climate Action Tracker found that progress in slowing global warming has essentially stalled for the past five years. That means the world is sure to overshoot the goal set in the 2015 Paris Agreement of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial temperatures.
Even if countries fulfill all their promises, the globe will end the century 2.6 degrees Celsius (4.7 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than pre-industrial times, the report said. Guterres said the world must cut emissions about 6% per year for several years, calling the overshoot “a recipe for catastrophe.”
Some of the top-polluting countries stayed away from this year’s summit, most notably the United States — the world’s second-largest polluter after China and the largest historical polluter. It is the second year in a row the U.S. skipped the summit, after President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from climate negotiations.
“Facts are facts,” Guterres said. “No country can protect itself from climate change alone. We share one planet, and whether we like it or not, we share one fate.”
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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