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COP27: ‘Humanity on highway to climate hell’ – Guterres [video]
Guterres said humanity is in the fight for its life, its losing and the planet is fast approaching tipping points.
Photo: UN
The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that “humanity is on the highway to climate hell”.
Guterres was addressing world leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the opening of the COP27 UN climate summit in Egypt on Monday.
Climate change cannot take a back seat
Guterres said the fight for a “liveable planet will be won or lost in this decade”.
“The war in Ukraine, other conflicts have caused so much bloodshed and violence, and their dramatic impacts all over the world. But we cannot accept that our attention is not focused on climate change.”
“We must of course work together to support peace efforts and the tremendous suffering. But climate change is on a different timeline and a different scale, it is the defining issue of our age, it is the central challenge of our century. It is unacceptable, outrageous and self-defeating to put it on the back burner.”
ALSO READ: Funding for Africa’s green transition in spotlight as Ramaphosa arrives in Egypt for COP27
Fight for the planet
Guterres said humanity is in the fight for its life, its losing, and the planet is fast approaching tipping points that will make climate chaos irreversible.
“We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.”
Guterres said the world had the tools it needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in clean energy and low-carbon technology.
“A window of opportunity remains open, but only a narrow shaft of light remains. The global climate fight will be won or lost in this crucial decade – on our watch. One thing is certain: those that give up are sure to lose.”
Why did Rishi Sunak leave so abruptly?
Meanwhile, questions have been raised about the circumstances surrounding why British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was abruptly rushed out of the COP27 climate summit on Monday.
The newly elected Sunak’s hasty exit left the audience baffled.
Leo Hickman, Director of UK-based Carbon Brief, shared a tweet about the incident.
“UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak rushed off conference room by his aides ahead of his speech at COP27 in mysterious circumstances.”
Downing Street mum
According to Hickman, Sunak was on stage for a climate change event when his aides interrupted him. In quick succession, two of his aides came and persuaded Sunak to leave the event.
While no official statement has been issued by Downing Street to explain the prime minister’s dramatic exit, it is believed he left early to prepare for a keynote climate change speech he would make later in the afternoon.
Later, while addressing the world leaders and climate changer experts, Sunak declared that it was time to act faster on climate change because it is the “right thing to do” as he committed £11.6b to a climate change fund.
Sunak also said the UK would be tripling the amount of money earmarked for adaptation to £1.5bn by 2025.
ALSO READ: COP27: Investors expect no new commitments, focus on implementation
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