Climate change is moving faster than we are —UN Sec Gen

Antonio Guterres

UNITED Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres at the informal meeting of the General Assembly last week said it is important to enhance the UN’s ambitions in the fight against climate change, even as he remarked that climate change was taking place at a rate faster than efforts to mitigate it.

Guteress told the General Assembly that, “Climate change is moving faster than we are. In 2016, for the first time in three years, CO2 emissions have increased. The last five years have been the hottest in history.

“The Paris Agreement laid the foundation for action. But the commitments made so far will not be enough to achieve the goals set. We must enhance our ambitions in this regard.

“Fortunately, climate action opportunities have never been more important.

“I heard that the stone age did not end for lack of stones. There is no point waiting to run out of coal and oil to get out of the age of fossil fuels.

“Those who do not bet on the green economy have a dull future ahead of them.

“We must invest in the future, not in the past.”

Guteress said that in 2019, a climate summit will be organized “to mobilize the international community for more ambitious emission reductions, climate change adaptation and the much needed energy transition.”

He added that the inclusion of women in efforts to address climate change among other challenges before the UN would greatly impact positively on such efforts.