ANTALYA, Nov 15: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for urgent and widespread reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to minimize the duration and impact of the expected rise in global temperatures above 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Addressing the final press conference of the ongoing UN climate change conference (COP31), Guterres stressed the need to reduce emissions by around six percent annually in the coming years.
He said that even if countries fully implement their current climate commitments under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), global temperatures could still rise by more than 2.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century.
“Our responsibility is to keep the rise in temperatures above 1.5 degrees to a minimum, limit it to the shortest possible period, and bring the temperature back below 1.5 degrees as quickly as possible,” Guterres said.
He said the need for climate justice has become more urgent as even a limited and temporary rise in temperatures would intensify the destructive climate impacts already being witnessed.
PM Oli and UNSG Guterres agree on the need to drastically reduc...
Guterres stressed that developing countries and communities most vulnerable to climate change need greater financial support for adaptation and to address loss and damage. He urged developed countries to fulfill the financial commitments made at previous COP conferences.
“Even if financial support for adaptation is tripled, it would cover less than 30 percent of the required amount,” he said.
Guterres identified fossil fuels as the main cause of the climate crisis and called for an accelerated, fair and orderly transition away from them. He warned that dependence on fossil fuels exposes countries to price shocks, geopolitical tensions and instability, saying that reducing such dependence is more important than simply changing suppliers.
He called for greater investment in clean energy, electricity transmission networks, energy storage, energy efficiency and clean electrification.
Guterres also stressed that climate change should not be viewed solely as an environmental issue but should be addressed in connection with peace, development, human rights and social justice. Climate-related disasters, he said, are fueling global instability by increasing hunger, displacement, poverty, debt burdens and competition for resources.
“Peace cannot be kept on a burning planet. Climate disasters repeatedly push people into poverty, making it impossible to eradicate poverty,” he said.
He noted that countries and communities that have contributed the least to the climate crisis are suffering the most from its impacts, underscoring the importance of international cooperation and financial support to ensure climate justice.
Guterres highlighted several initiatives as important steps, including the roadmap led by the COP30 presidency for transitioning away from fossil fuels and ending deforestation, clean electrification, the global zero-waste commitment, expansion of electricity transmission networks and implementation of early warning systems for all.
He said innovations in renewable energy technologies and the green economy have improved prospects for a clean, safe and reliable energy future, but stressed that political will, courage and rapid implementation are essential.
Participating in the final COP conference of his nearly 10-year tenure as UN secretary-general, Guterres reiterated that no single country can tackle climate change alone.
He said the United Nations has further strengthened implementation-focused support in areas including early warning systems, electricity transmission networks, methane emissions and critical minerals.
“We share one Earth, and whether we like it or not, our fate is shared,” he said.
Guterres concluded with a message to the global community: “Let’s face the facts, follow the science, choose the future, and never give up.”
