UN Chief Antonio Guterres Warns Of "Hellish Future" Ahead Of Key Climate Summit
The COP26 UN climate summit, which begins on October 31 in Glasgow, is being billed as crucial to the continued success of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
World leaders must choose between saving the world or condemning "humanity to a hellish future", UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Thursday at a preparatory meeting for a key climate summit next month.
The COP26 UN climate summit, which begins on October 31 in Glasgow, is being billed as crucial to the continued success of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The landmark 2015 accord commits nations to limiting global temperature rises to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels through sweeping emissions cuts.
Emissions have continued to rise in the six years since the deal, while the latest round of national carbon-cutting pledges puts Earth on track to warm a "catastrophic" 2.7C this century, according to a UN assessment.
"It is essential for all humanity that we fulfil the promise of the Paris Agreement. I cannot emphasise enough that time is running out. Irreversible climate tipping points lie alarmingly close," Guterres told ministers from several countries attending the preparatory meeting in Milan, which runs till Saturday.
"We can either save our world or condemn humanity to a hellish future."
The UN secretary general said "the single most effective step we can take to limit temperature rise is phasing out coal, beginning with no new coal power plants".
Welcoming a recent announcement by China on ending international financing of coal power, he asked private finance "to quickly follow suit and stop financing coal".
Guterres had earlier also asked youths to maintain pressure on global leaders to do more to fight climate change.
The COP26 UN climate summit, which begins on October 31 in Glasgow, is being billed as crucial to the continued success of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The landmark 2015 accord commits nations to limiting global temperature rises to "well below" 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels through sweeping emissions cuts.
Emissions have continued to rise in the six years since the deal, while the latest round of national carbon-cutting pledges puts Earth on track to warm a "catastrophic" 2.7C this century, according to a UN assessment.
"It is essential for all humanity that we fulfil the promise of the Paris Agreement. I cannot emphasise enough that time is running out. Irreversible climate tipping points lie alarmingly close," Guterres told ministers from several countries attending the preparatory meeting in Milan, which runs till Saturday.
"We can either save our world or condemn humanity to a hellish future."
The UN secretary general said "the single most effective step we can take to limit temperature rise is phasing out coal, beginning with no new coal power plants".
Welcoming a recent announcement by China on ending international financing of coal power, he asked private finance "to quickly follow suit and stop financing coal".
Guterres had earlier also asked youths to maintain pressure on global leaders to do more to fight climate change.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.