UN Chief António Guterres: 'We are on the Brink of Climate Disaster'

Summary

• UN Chief António Guterres called for immediate action at COP28 to avert a climate disaster.

• Despite COP28 pledges, the International Energy Agency warns they may not be sufficient to meet international climate targets.

• COP28 President al-Jaber stressed the urgency of constructive engagement, urging countries to find common ground to address climate challenges effectively.

Discussions at COP28 in Dubai are heating up around the impact of climate change and UN Secretary-General António Guterres is the latest to raise his voice against the growing climate issues.

In a Tweet on 10 December, the UN Chief said that global leaders need to “deliver climate justice”.

“I have come back to COP28 because we are on the brink of climate disaster and this conference must mark a turning point. I am here to renew my urgent appeal to leaders: Recommit to the 1.5°C warming limit, end the fossil fuel age, and deliver climate justice,” Guterres tweeted on Sunday.

The views from the UN Chief come at a time when the countries are battling with record-breaking temperatures across continents. According to a report by the EU-backed Copernicus Climate Change Service, 2023 will be the warmest year in recorded history.

“As long as greenhouse gas concentrations keep rising we can’t expect different outcomes from those seen this year. The temperature will keep rising and so will the impacts of heat waves and droughts. Reaching net zero as soon as possible is an effective way to manage our climate risks,” said Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

While the world leaders are aiming to limit global warming to 1.5°C, the raft of new pledges at COP28 are less likely to achieve the said target.

The International Energy Agency, a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organisation, said on 10 December that the recent commitments at COP28 “would not be nearly enough to move the world onto a path to reaching international climate targets.”

On the other hand, COP28 President Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber believes that “failure is not an option”.

He has also urged countries to find a “common ground”.

“The time has come for all parties to constructively engage, I want everyone to show flexibility,” he said.