United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged world leaders to take decision action to control of the spiraling climate crisis, saying “We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell.”
“We are playing Russian roulette with our planet,” he said. “In the case of climate, we are not the dinosaurs. We are the meteor. We are not only in danger, we are the danger. But, we are also the solution.”
In his call to action, Guterres demanded an end to new fossil fuel projects and significant emissions reductions, particularly from wealthy nations. He has condemned fossil fuel companies, calling them the “godfathers of climate chaos.”
UN chief also called for increased financial support for the most vulnerable countries, which are disproportionately affected by climate change. “We cannot accept a future where the rich are protected in air-conditioned bubbles while the rest of humanity is lashed by lethal weather in unliveable lands,” Guterres stated.
“Every country must deliver and play their rightful part…We need cooperation, not finger-pointing,” Guterres declared.
Guterres concluded by urging all nations and people to join the fight against climate change, asserting that the path to a livable future for all requires immediate and collective action.
“Now is the time to mobilize, now is the time to act, now is the time to deliver. This is our moment of truth,” he declared.
12 consecutive months of record-breaking heat
Meanwhile, European Union’s climate monitoring service Copernicus revealed that the planet earth experienced an alarming climate milestone, undergoing 12 consecutive months of record-breaking heat from June 2023 to May 2024.
Every month set a new high-temperature record, highlighting the intensifying impact of human-induced climate change.
The data from Copernicus revealed that each month since July 2023 has been at least 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels, with the past year’s average global temperature standing 1.63 degrees higher. This surpassed the 1.5-degree target set by the Paris Agreement in 2015, which aims to limit long-term global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels to avoid catastrophic climate impacts.
Carlo Buontempo, Director of Copernicus, described the heat streak as “shocking but not surprising.” He warned that without significant reductions in fossil fuel emissions, these record-setting months might one day be seen as relatively mild.
There is also a nearly 50% chance that the average global temperature for the five-year period will exceed 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, bringing us closer to breaching the critical threshold set by the Paris Agreement.
Guterres’ speech was accompanied by a report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), predicting an 86% chance that at least one year between 2024 and 2028 will surpass the hottest year on record, which was set in 2023.
Climate scientists and experts urge swift climate action
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has issued an urgent call for climate action as global temperatures continue to break records.
“The planet’s thermostat is cranked up, with records being broken more regularly than when Usain Bolt was competing,” stated Stephen Cornelius, WWF Deputy Climate and Energy Lead.
“Every fraction of a degree of global warming matters, as the hotter it gets the more harm climate change causes people and nature. We need to slash greenhouse gas emissions or we’ll overshoot way past 1.5°C of global warming. To limit warming we must phase out fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – and swiftly move to 100% clean renewable energy, as well as to protect and restore natural ecosystems,” Cornelius said.
Richard Allan, a climate scientist at the University of Reading, emphasized that these temperature records are a forewarning of more severe climate impacts on the horizon.
“This is a harbinger of progressively more dangerous climate impacts close on the horizon,” he noted.
Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London, stressed the urgency of addressing climate change. “The recent heat offers a window into the future with extreme heat that challenges the limits of human survivability,” he said. “It is vital people understand that every tenth of a degree of warming exposes more people to dangerous and potentially deadly heat.”
As global temperatures are expected to briefly drop with the weakening of El Niño, the long-term trend of rising temperatures driven by fossil fuel use remains unchanged. “While this sequence of record-breaking months will eventually be interrupted, the overall signature of climate change remains and there is no sign in sight of a change in such a trend,” Buontempo cautioned.
Experts have called for urgent action in these areas:
- Vut emissions
- Boost climate finance
- Clamp down on the fossil fuel business
- Protect people and nature from climate extremes
Devastating effects of climate change
The period of unprecedented heat has had devastating effects worldwide. In the western United States, a severe heatwave pushed temperatures into the triple digits, while in India, temperatures nearing 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) have resulted in dozens of deaths.
Similarly, Southeast Asia saw school closures and crop failures due to extreme heat, and in Mexico, the heat had been so intense that howler monkeys have died from falling out of trees.
Beyond scorching heat, the changing climate also contributed to heavier rainfall and more destructive storms. Countries such as the United States, Brazil, Kenya, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) experienced significant flooding and storm damage this year, exacerbating the toll of climate change on communities and economies.
Stephanie Roe, WWF Global Climate & Energy Lead Scientist, called fir urgent action recalling the continuous influx of alarming data. “We keep obtaining more and more alarming data. We’re continuously seeing record-breaking temperatures, droughts, floods, and economic damage from climate change. It’s wake-up call after wake-up call. We should be accelerating efforts to meet the Paris Agreement goals and avert the worst of the climate crisis now. Future generations depend on the actions we take today.”