- Georgina Rannard
- BBC News climate and business science
BBC climate editor Justin Rowlatt speaks with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York
The UN secretary general told BBC News that countries must again prioritize climate change or the world will face catastrophe.
Secretary General António Guterres gave the above interview in New York ahead of COP27, the United Nations climate conference in Egypt.
“There is now a tendency to overshadow climate change, and if we fail to reverse the current trend, we will be doomed to irreversible consequences,” he said.
The COP27 meeting will bring together countries from around the world to discuss the global response to climate change.
Guterres said the current problems facing the world, such as inflation, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and high energy and food prices, are distracting governments.
He urged countries to bring climate change back to the center of international discussions.
The UN secretary general insisted that no leader should abandon key goals, including limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
He said he wanted to see British King Charles III and the new British Prime Minister Sunak at COP27, adding that King Charles has long been a “constant voice” to call attention to climate change.
Call for US-China cooperation
The UN secretary general also invited the United States and China to collaborate in the meeting in Egypt. He said the world depends on the United States and China for leadership.
In August, China said it would suspend cooperation with the US on climate change after a key US politician (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) visited Taiwan.
“This is the defining issue of our time and no one has the right to sacrifice international action on climate change for any reason,” the UN secretary general warned.
He added: “We have to tell the truth. The truth is that the impact of climate change on some countries of the world, particularly hotspots, is already devastating.”
Guterres insisted that governments must provide the pledged $ 100 billion in funding to developing countries facing the worst impacts of climate change.
An unexpected tax on fossil-fuel energy profits could help find the remaining funds, he suggested.
He called on countries not to reinvest in more fossil fuels and said they should support renewable energy. “The stupidest thing to do is to bet on the root cause of this disaster,” she said.
Asked if he should participate in the climate protests in person, Guterres said he organized demonstrations as a young man, but his job now is not to “fight from one bastion of protest to another.” Now it’s about putting pressure on governments to change, he said.
The UN leader said young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg’s participation in COP27 would be “extremely welcome”, even though she said it wouldn’t. He also praised the leadership of young people around the world in calling attention to climate change.
This BBC interview coincides with a newly released report warning that in 2021 more greenhouse gases will warm the global atmosphere than ever.
image source,Getty Images
Climate change is causing more extreme weather conditions and disasters, scientists say. In 2022 Pakistan will suffer the worst flood in a century, 1/3 of the country will be submerged.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, atmospheric levels of the three main greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide reached record levels in 2021.
The report also says that concentrations of the potent methane have jumped to the highest level in 40 years, leaving experts baffled.
Global leaders will meet at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from November 6-18 to discuss progress towards climate goals.
At the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow last year, governments pledged to cut or stop the use of fossil fuels, end deforestation and provide funding to the developing countries they face. the worst climate change.
This year’s negotiations will focus on the progress already made and on meeting these commitments.
