UN warns of climate catastrophe striking world

SANAA, March 22 (YPA) – The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, warned that the world would head towards a “climate catastrophe” and deterioration of economies as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases that cause climate warming.

The French press agency quoted Guterres on Monday, at a conference on sustainable development organized by “The Economist” in London, as saying: The goal of limiting the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial era, which is the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement, in “critical situation”.

According to the United Nations, it would be necessary to cut emissions by 45 percent by 2030 in order to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, Nevertheless, emissions are still rising and the planet has gained an average of about 1.1 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrial period, leading to a doubling of heat waves, droughts, storms and catastrophic floods.

“The problem is getting worse,” Guterres said in a pre-recorded video, noting that in 2020, climate disasters have caused “30 million people to be displaced from their homes, three times the number of people displaced by conflicts.”

He described the continued dependence on fossil fuels as “madness”, saying: “The addiction to fossil fuels is leading us towards mass destruction.”

“The good news is that all G20 governments, including China, Japan and Korea, have agreed to stop financing coal-fired projects abroad,” Guterres added.

AA