NEW YORK, June 5 (Xinhua) - "It's climate crunch time," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, stressing that urgent global action on rising carbon emissions presents unprecedented opportunities for prosperity and sustainability.
Addressing the issue at the American Museum of Natural History's Family Hall of Ocean Life in New York, Guterres declared, "We stand at a moment of truth."
He warned that "in the case of climate, we are not the dinosaurs. We are the meteor. We are not only in danger - we are the danger. But we are also the solution."
Citing a report from the European Commission Copernicus Climate Change Service that revealed last month was the hottest May on record, Guterres stressed the need for global emissions to decrease by 9 percent annually to maintain the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature rise limit above pre-industrial levels. Last year, emissions increased by 1 percent.
The UN World Meteorological Organization reported an 80 percent chance that the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit, set by the Paris Agreement in 2015, will be exceeded within the next five years. "We are playing Russian roulette with our planet," Guterres said. "We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell. And the truth is - we have control of the wheel."
Guterres believed that preventing climate catastrophe is still possible if decisive action is taken, particularly by political leaders over the next 18 months. "The need for climate action is unprecedented, but so is the opportunity - not just to deliver on climate but on economic prosperity and sustainable development," he explained.
A half-degree difference in global warming could lead to the disappearance of some island states and coastal communities, catastrophic sea level rise, and the loss of entire coral reef systems, affecting 300 million livelihoods. Extreme weather events, fueled by climate chaos, are already devastating economies and health systems worldwide.
Despite the global impact, "the Godfathers of climate chaos - the fossil fuel conglomerates - rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies," Guterres exclaimed.
He criticized the oil and gas industry for "shamelessly greenwashing" and delaying climate action with the help of advertising and public relations companies. "I call on these companies to stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction. Stop taking on new fossil fuel clients, from today, and set out plans to drop your existing ones," he demanded.
Guterres urged every country to ban fossil fuel company advertising and emphasized that beyond toxic corporations, "we have what we need to save ourselves." Forests and oceans continue to absorb harmful carbon and must be protected, while the booming renewable energy sector now accounts for 30 percent of the world's electricity supply. Clean energy investments reached record highs last year, nearly doubling over the past decade. "Economic logic makes the end of the fossil fuel age inevitable," he added.
To ensure a safe future for humanity and the planet, Guterres outlined urgent actions: slash emissions, protect people and nature from climate extremes, boost climate finance, and clamp down on the fossil fuel industry.
He emphasized that the greatest responsibility falls on the richest nations and largest emitters. "Advanced G20 economies should go (the) furthest, fastest," while also supporting developing nations technically and financially.
National climate action plans must align with the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit and include absolute emission reduction targets for 2030, 2035, and beyond. "Every country must deliver and play their rightful part ... We need cooperation, not finger-pointing," said Guterres.
He decried the injustice of vulnerable nations bearing the brunt of a climate crisis they did not cause, and called for fairer climate finance and an end to crippling debt and high interest rates for developing countries.
"Climate finance is not a favor. It is a fundamental element to a livable future for all," he said, urging people to make their voices heard and their choices count. "This is an all-in moment. The United Nations is all in - working to build trust, find solutions, and inspire the cooperation our world so desperately needs," he noted. ■
