The climate change is already here and it's scary, he said. Antonio GuterresSecretary General of the UNby announcing that July will close as the hottest month of which there is a record.
After disclosing data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Copernicus Service of the European Commissionthe leader of the Nations Units expressed that the era of global warming is over, to give way to the era of the global upheavaland therefore, there is an urgent need to accelerate the climate action.
"We don't have to wait until the end of the month to know this. July 2023 will break records across the board," he said.
The UN Secretary General indicated that everything that is happening is entirely consistent with repeated predictions and warnings.
"The only surprise is the speed of change. Climate change is here. It's frightening. And it's just the beginning. The era of global warming is over. The era of global boiling has arrived," he stressed.
According to weather agencies, July has experienced the hottest three-week span, the three hottest days, and the highest ocean temperatures for this time of year ever documented.
"The consequences are clear and tragic: children swept away by monsoon rains; families fleeing the flames; workers collapsing in scorching heat," Guterres said.
The WMO estimated at 98% the probability that at least one of the next five years will be the warmest on record, and at 66% the probability of temporarily exceeding the 1.5°C mark above pre-industrial levels for at least one year of the next five years.
Both the WMO and the European Commission's Copernicus Service maintain that anthropogenic emissions are the main driver of these rising temperatures.
"For scientists, it is unequivocal: humans are to blame. The air is unbreathable. The heat is unbearable. And the level of fossil fuel profits, as well as climate inaction, is unacceptable," stressed the UN Secretary General.
Urgent need to reduce GHG emissions
Petteri Taalas, director general of the WMO, stressed the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Climate action is not a luxury, but a necessity, he emphasized.
In response, Guterres called on world leaders to exercise responsible leadership and drive climate action.
"No more hesitation. No more excuses. No more waiting for others to move first. There is simply no more time for that," he said.
He assured that it is still possible to reach the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century and thus avoid the worst of climate change, but this will only be achieved if action is taken immediately and with determination.
He acknowledged that there has been some progress in renewable energy deployment and other areas. However, none of them have sufficient scope or the speed that is required.
The UN Secretary General detailed that G20 countries are responsible for 80% of global emissions and called on them to step up climate action and climate justice.
"All actors must come together to accelerate a just and equitable transition from fossil fuels to renewables, as we halt the expansion of oil and gas, and the financing and licensing" of new sources of power generation, he argued,
There is a pressing need for developed countries to commit to achieving net zero emissions as close to 2040 as possible, and emerging economies as close to 2050 as possible, with support from developed countries to do so, he said.
Guterres expressed that it is evident that humanity has unleashed destruction, but this should not inspire despair, but rather action.
"We can still stop the worst. But to do so we must turn a year of scorching heat into a year of scorching ambition. And accelerate climate action, now," he said.
Source: UN