Alarming words. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, warned, on Tuesday 20 September, at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, against a “winter of grumbling looming on the horizon”in a world “paralyzed” by divisions. “The purchasing power crisis is unleashed, confidence is crumbling, inequalities are exploding, our planet is burning”and despite everything, “we are blocked by a colossal global dysfunction”said Antonio Guterres.
“These crises threaten the very future of humanity and the destiny of the planet”he estimated. “Let us be under no illusions. We are in rough seas. A winter of global discontent looms on the horizon”. Among the dangers that threaten the world mentioned by the Secretary General, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which will be at the heart of this high-level diplomatic week.
Global warming warning
“It is high time to move beyond these endless discussions”, launched Antonio Guterres. Attacking the large companies producing fossil fuels which “revel” of profits inflated by the Ukrainian conflict, he also called on the rich countries to tax these profits for the “redirect” partly to countries undergoing “loss and damage” due to the devastating consequences of climate change and to populations suffering from inflation.
Two months before the UN COP27 climate conference in Egypt, “climate action has taken a back seat” other crises, he also denounced, calling for an end to “our suicidal war against nature”.
