UN leader Guterres has been particularly critical of companies that, in his words, have ‘tried’ to block the energy transition to an emission-free economy.
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterreswarned world leaders this Wednesday that “we have opened the gates of hell” by not taking decisive action against hell climate changeduring a summit on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly in which celebration takes place N.Y.
“Fire has terrible consequences. Farmers watch in horror as floods wash away their crops. Scorching temperatures cause disease. And thousands flee in fear as historic fires spread,” he said in his opening address at the Climate Ambition Summit.
However, the Portuguese leader is confident that there is still time to contain the situation rise in temperatures at 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial limits, but to do that, he assured, we must “end multimillion-dollar fossil energy subsidies and carbon taxation,” among other measures.
That was especially Guterres critical of companies who, in their words, have ‘sought to block the energy transition to a zero-emissions economy’, ‘by using their wealth and influence to delay, distract and mislead’.
He has also shown sympathy for the less industrialized countrieswho are suffering the most devastating consequences of a climate crisis to which they did not contribute, and who are stuck in an unsustainable debt situation with the richest countries.
In this sense, he has asked rich countries to fulfill their pledge to spend $100 billion annually to mitigate the effects of climate change in poor countries, which was agreed in 2009 and has not been implemented so far.
The UN Climate Ambition Summit will take place all day today, in the context of the United Nations High Level Week, which is taking place these days in New York.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
