UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday that leaders gathered in Baku for the COP29 Climate Action Summit must take immediate steps to cut emissions, safeguard people from climate chaos, and “tear down the walls to climate finance” in response to the “masterclass in climate destruction” that the world has witnessed in 2024.
“The sound you hear is the ticking clock. We are in the final countdown to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. And time is not on our side,” he warned.
In his opening remarks to the World Leaders Climate Action Summit, the ministerial-level segment of COP29, which officially opened on Tuesday in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku, Mr. Guterres pointed to the proof, noting that 2024 is almost certain to be the hottest year ever recorded.
Meanwhile, “no country is spared” from climate destruction ranging from hurricanes to boiling seas, drought ravaged crops, and more, all being supercharged by human-made climate change.
In the global economy, supply chain shocks raise costs – everywhere: Decimated harvests push up global food prices; destroyed homes increase all insurance premiums.
“This is a story of avoidable injustice: The rich cause the problem, the poor pay the highest price,” stated the UN chief, noting that Oxfam has found that the richest billionaires emit more carbon in an hour and a half than the average person does in a lifetime.
“Unless emissions plummet and adaptation soars,” he emphasized that “every economy will face far greater fury.”