UN Secretary-General: World is in a ‘life-and-death struggle’ for survival

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres The world warned on Monday that it was in a “life-and-death struggle” for survival as “climate chaos erupts rapidly”, with the world’s 20 richest nations pledging to stop the planet from overheating. criticized for not taking adequate measures against

The United Nations secretary-general said emissions of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming are at an all-time high and on the rise, among wealthy developed and emerging economies that emit most of the gases that trap heat. said it was time to make a “compromise on the quantum level.” its worst effects.

Guterres said as government representatives met in the Congolese capital Kinshasa We are gearing up for a major UN-led climate conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in November. A third of the world is flooded and climate change is having a huge impact on the world. Pakistan Until the hurricanes and typhoons that hit the Philippines, it was the hottest summer in Europe in 500 years. Cuba and Florida, USA.

In the past few weeks, Guterres has stepped up his push for climate’s version of what is commonly called “loss and damage,” which calls for polluters to pay for what they’ve done, and on Monday, people said they should act now. He said he had to wake up.

“If we do not take action on loss and damage, we will lose more trust and suffer more from climate change. This is a moral imperative that cannot be ignored.”

Mr. Guterres said the COP27 meeting in Egypt “must be an arena for action against loss and damage.”

In unusually critical language, he said the commitment by the so-called G20 group of the world’s 20 major economies was “too small and too late”.

Mr Guterres warned that current pledges and policies “close the door to the chances of limiting global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, let alone reaching the 1.5 degrees target”.

“We are in a life-and-death struggle today for our own safety and survival tomorrow,” he said.

“COP27 is where all the countries led by the G20 show that they are on board and together in this fight,” said Guterres. “The best way to make that happen is to attend his COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh.”

Data show that rich countries, especially the United States, emit far more carbon dioxide than they do to trap heat from burning coal, oil and natural gas. Poor countries such as Pakistan and Cuba have been hit far harder than their share of global carbon emissions.

Loss and damage have been debated for years, but wealthy countries have often been hesitant to negotiate detailed payments for past climate disasters, such as the floods in Pakistan this summer.

The problem is fundamental to the world’s developing nations, and Mr. Guterres is reminding rich countries that “they cannot try to hide it… G20 countries are We must take responsibility for the great need that action has created,” said Mohamed Adow of Power. Shift Africa is trying to mobilize climate change measures in Africa.

Michael Oppenheimer, professor of climate science and international affairs at Princeton University, said in an email that high-income countries like China and other large emitters want the United Nations treaty on climate change to remain useful. They will have to take their loss and damage seriously.”

Otherwise, he said, negotiations are “heading towards an endless stalemate.”

Poor countries with low emissions can simply refuse to discuss anything else until the problem is resolved, Oppenheimer said. Wealthier countries may find ways to sidestep this problem without paying direct damages by paying poorer countries more to mitigate future disasters, yet developed countries may find ways to circumvent this problem by paying poorer countries more to mitigate future disasters. As well as making a promise, you will have to pay the money.

Bahamian climate scientist Adele Thomas said Guterres’ remarks “underscore what small islands and least developed countries have argued for decades: loss and damage It is irrefutable and already disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable countries and communities.”

“We have reached a breaking point that developed countries must respond to instead of continuing to delay action with empty promises and protracted debates,” she added.

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Borenstein reported from Washington

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Follow AP’s climate and environment coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.

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Follow Edith Lederer and Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @@.edithleder AP and @borenbears

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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/antonio-guterres-ap-world-cop27-kinshasa-b2191817.html UN Secretary-General: World is in a ‘life-and-death struggle’ for survival

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