We Are Flirting With Climate Disaster: Antonio Guterres At WEF

We are flirting with climate disaster and the commitment to limiting the temperature to 1.5 degrees celsius is going to smoke, said António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) while speaking at the 53rd World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting.

Without action, the entire globe will head towards 2.8 degrees Celsius and we all know this would have devastating consequences, said Guterres.

He further said, "We need cooperation yet we see fragmentation. Our world is plagued by a number of the front like global economic crises as many parts of the country face recession and others parts face a slowdown."

He said that there is increasing inequality and a rapid rise in the cost of the crisis and added that supply chain disruptions and energy crunch, soaring prices and rising interest rates along with inflation and impacting vulnerable countries. 

“Several parts of the earth will be inhabitable and for many, it would death alarm,” he claimed. 

On other issues like conflict, violence and war, Guterres said, “The war does not impact only the Ukrainian people but it causes an increase in the cost of goods and energy, disruption of trade and supply chains, the safety of nuclear infrastructure and very foundational questions is international laws and the United Nations charter.”

He made clear that it would be difficult to find solutions to this global interlinked problem in the best of times and the world would be united. 

He cited the WTO report and said, "We face a great level of geopolitics and mistrust among countries and it is undermining everything. First, the east-west division and at the same time, the north-south divide are widening. This decoupling of the biggest economies into blocs could cut the world economy by USD 1.4 trillion from the world economy."

“It is essential for two countries to refrain from decoupling rather than cooperating on climate, technology and trade,” Guterres asserted.

He also showed his concern about the unequal distribution of the Covid-19 vaccines among nations and climate change's disastrous impact on poor nations, located in the southern hemisphere. The General Secretary said, “There is frustration in the global south with the unavailability and shortage of climate funds.”

“Developing countries need to get funds to reduce poverty and fulfil climate change, which would require the contribution of the international system. They also need necessary liquidity, debt relief and restructuring and as well as long-term lending to invest in long-term development,” he said. 

Guterres also called out the private sector and said, “We need more and strong participation of private investment in the green energy sector and to limit the global temperature from rising, so, put the plans for transition to net zero.”