UN Chief Antonio Guterres calls upon wealthy nations to take lead in fight against climate change

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called upon wealthy nations to take lead in fight against climate change. He called on world leaders to update their efforts to tackle the climate crisis, including setting net-zero targets and phasing out fossil fuels.

The Secretary-General warned that the world is on track for a 2.8°C temperature rise if global leaders do not take urgent action on climate change. The warning was made at the UN Climate Ambition Summit last night. In his opening speech of the Climate Ambition Summit he said, horrendous heat is having horrendous effects. Distraught farmers are watching crops carried away by floods. Sweltering temperatures are spawning disease. Mr Guterres said, climate action is dwarfed by the scale of the challenge. He warned that if nothing changes, we are heading towards a dangerous and unstable world.

The one-day conference – which comes as the the world grapples with devastating floods and fires – is intended to build global momentum toward slashing planet-heating pollution ahead of the UN’s COP28 climate summit in Dubai in December.