NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday said that humankind’s role in the destructive warming of the planet is comparable to the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. He called for rapid steps including bans on fossil fuel advertising.
In a speech at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, Guterres said, “Of the vast forces that have shaped life on Earth over billions of years, humanity is just one small blip on the radar”. “But like the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, we are having an outsized impact,” Guterres warned. “In the case of climate, we are not the dinosaurs. We are the meteor. We are not only in danger. We are the danger.”
Highlighting the alarming findings of the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Guterres said that May 2024 was officially recorded as the hottest May on record, marking twelve consecutive months of record-breaking temperatures. He underscored the gravity of the situation, cautioning that humanity’s impact on the climate poses an existential threat akin to the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs.
Despite the dire prediction, Guterres expressed optimism, emphasizing that humans are also the solution to the crisis. He reiterated the call for concerted global action to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a target deemed crucial for averting catastrophic consequences as outlined in the Paris Agreement.
However, Guterres warned that the 1.5-degree target hangs precariously in the balance, with the World Meteorological Organization projecting an 80 percent chance of exceeding the limit within the next five years. He emphasized the crucial role of world leaders in shaping the trajectory of climate action. He urged decisive decisions in the next 18 months to secure a sustainable future.
Guterres called for a firm stance against the fossil fuel industry, which he denounced as the “Godfathers of climate chaos.” He called for an “exit ramp off the highway to climate hell,” urging an end to new fossil fuel investments and the phasing out of existing ones.
Guterres also singled out advertisers as enablers of climate inaction, urging them to cease partnerships with fossil fuel companies and advocating for a ban on advertising from such entities.
Furthermore, Guterres reiterated the need for financial measures to combat climate change, including taxes on fossil fuel profits and solidarity levies on the aviation and shipping sectors. He urged wealthy nations to increase climate aid to vulnerable countries.
Guterres underscored the urgency of the situation, stressing that humanity cannot afford a future where the affluent are shielded from climate impacts while others suffer the consequences.
“I urge every country to ban advertising from fossil fuel companies.
And I urge news media & tech companies to stop taking fossil fuel advertising.”@antonioguterres says we must directly confront those who have been obstructing #ClimateAction progress.https://t.co/nryF7AxXcP pic.twitter.com/DZpCrJnkTF
— United Nations (@UN) June 5, 2024
