High temperatures and forest fires are wreaking havoc in North Africa, Europe and North America. According to UN global warming scientists, July is on track to become the hottest month on record. This worrying news highlights the importance of taking urgent action to combat climate change and protect our planet.
At a climate press conference on Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned: “The era of global warming is over; “The era of global boiling has arrived,” says a United Nations press release.
“Today the World Meteorological Organization and the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Agency are releasing official data confirming that July 2023 will be the hottest month on record in human history,” Guterres said. “The consequences are clear and tragic: children are swept away by the monsoon rains; families fleeing the flames; Workers collapsed in the scorching heat.”
According to Chris Hewitt, director of climate services at the World Meteorological Organization, the climate record for the past 173 years suggests the eight warmest years occurred between 2015 and 2022. In addition, significant global warming has been observed since the 1970s. This alarming data was reported by UN News.
“Climate change is here… and it’s just the beginning,” Guterres said, as reported by UN News.
Hewitt noted that the El Niño weather pattern, replacing cooling La Niña, would mean the “almost certain probability that one of the next five years will be the warmest on record” and that average temperatures “most likely” will temporarily rise globally become . exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in at least one of those years.
In the face of global warming, only adaptation remains
Secretary-General Guterres stressed the importance of taking action on emissions, climate change adaptation and finance at the global level.
“No more doubts. No more excuses. No more waiting for others to act first,” Guterres said in the press release. “It is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and prevent the worst of climate change. But only with dramatic and immediate climate protection measures. We’ve seen some progress. A solid use of renewable energy. Some positive steps in sectors like shipping. But none of this goes far enough or fast enough. Rising temperatures require accelerated action.”
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the importance of world leaders taking urgent action on climate change. In particular, he stressed the responsibility of members of the group of the 20 richest industrialized nations, which are responsible for 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This information was reported by UN News.
“We have several crucial chances ahead of us. The Africa Climate Summit. That of the G20. The UN climate summit. COP28,” Guterres said in the press release. “We need ambitious new national emissions reduction targets from G20 members… And all actors need to come together to accelerate a just and equitable transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy while halting the expansion of oil and gas, and we are funding and licensing new ones.” Coal and oil.” And gas… And we need to achieve net-zero electricity by 2035 in developed countries and by 2040 elsewhere, while working to make affordable electricity available to everyone on Earth.”
It’s about taking responsibility
Secretary General Antonio Guterres also called on companies and financial institutions to no longer shirk their responsibilities and guilt. It is important that they perceive their actions and take responsibility for any damage caused.
“Financial institutions must stop lending, underwriting and investing in fossil fuels and switch to renewable energy. And fossil fuel companies must plan their transition to clean energy with detailed transition plans across the entire value chain: no more greenwashing. No more cheating. And no more abusive distortion of antitrust laws to sabotage net-zero alliances,” Guterres said in the release.
Guterres went on to say that extreme weather “is becoming the new normal” and that rich nations must support countries “on the front lines that have done the least to cause the crisis and have the least resources to deal with the crisis” at the start . the resulting floods, droughts, heat and fires.
The UN Secretary-General has stressed the importance of continued financial support from industrialized countries to combat climate change in developing countries. He proposed an annual contribution of US$100 billion, as well as ensuring the replenishment of the Green Climate Fund and setting up a fund to cover the losses and damages caused by this problem. These measures will be discussed at the next Conference of the Parties (COP28).
Later in his speech, Guterres emphasized the importance of putting a price on carbon and the need for development banks to provide affordable private finance to developing countries. He also stressed the importance of increasing funding for adaptation, loss and damage related to climate change and promoting the use of renewable energy.
“The evidence of global warming is everywhere: Humanity has wreaked havoc. This should not inspire despair, but encourage action. We can still prevent the worst. But to do that, we need to turn a year of heat into a year of ambition. And now accelerate climate protection,” said Guterres.
With information from ecowatch.com