The UN secretary general has called on all countries to declare a climate emergency.
António Guterres was speaking at a virtual summit on the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement,
He lambasted developed countries for spending 50% more of their pandemic recovery cash on fossil fuels compared to low-carbon energy.
Over 70 world leaders are due to speak at the meeting organised by the UK, UN and France.
Mr Guterres said that 38 countries had already declared a climate emergency and he called on leaders worldwide to now do the same.
He said the emergency would only end when carbon neutrality was reached. Carbon neutrality means that emissions have been reduced as much as possible and any remaining ones are balanced by removing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere,
On the Covid recovery spending, he said that this is money being borrowed from future generations:
“We cannot use these resources to lock in policies that burden future generations with a mountain of debt on a broken plane.”
The secretary general praised those countries who have come to today’s meeting with new targets and plans.
The UK has announced an end to support for overseas fossil fuel projects, and has today deposited a new climate plan with the UN.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the year was coming to an end with “a certain amount of scientific optimism” because “barely 12 months after the start of the pandemic, we’re seeing the vaccine going into the arms of the elderly”.
He added: “Together we can use scientific advances to protect our entire planet – our biosphere – against a challenge far worse, far more destructive even than the coronavirus. And by the promethean power of our invention, we can begin to defend the Earth against the disaster of global warming.”
Unity News Network (UNN) Staff Writer | To find out more details about our staff, please head to the About Us section on our website.
