“We are on the highway to climate hell — with our foot on the accelerator,” Guterres said Monday in a speech to dozens of heads of state and government in Sharm el-Sheikh. “We are fighting the battle of our lives – and we are about to lose,” he warned, referring to the droughts, floods, storms and rising sea levels caused by the climate crisis.
The goal agreed at the World Climate Conference in Paris in 2015 to limit warming to 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times is under acute threat. The Portuguese called for a “climate solidarity pact” that rich countries should now conclude with emerging and developing countries. The United States and China are especially responsible for this. He literally said, “Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish!”
Guterres supported poor countries’ demands for compensatory payments from industrialized countries for the climate damage they had already suffered – called “loss and damage” in UN jargon. This topic should no longer be swept under the rug.
In Sharm el-Sheikh, speeches by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were on the agenda for the afternoon. 45,000 participants are registered on site for the congress. In the Red Sea resort, representatives from nearly 200 countries will spend two weeks discussing how to step up the fight against global warming.
(SDA)
Source: Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
