Guterres said the state of emergency should remain in place until carbon neutrality is achieved

Declare ‘state of climate emergency’, UN boss urges world leaders Antonio Guterres urges countries that already announced net-zero targets to make good on promises at the one-day virtual Climate Ambition Summit. Guterres said the state of emergency should remain in place until carbon neutrality is achieved [File: Bob Strong/Reuters] 12 Dec 2020 The United Nations chief has called on world leaders to declare states of “climate emergency” in their countries to spur action to avoid “catastrophic” global warming. Antonio Guterres’s comments on Saturday came during his opening statement to the Climate Ambition Summit, a virtual gathering aimed at building momentum for much steeper cuts in planet-warming emissions on the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris climate accord. More than 70 world leaders are due to address the one-day summit. Lessons learned from COVID-19 can help us fight climate change Climate crisis: Is it making weather forecasting harder? New Zealand declares climate emergency UN chief denounces ‘suicidal’ failure to tackle climate change In Paris, five years ago, states promised to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) as much as possible, Guterres said via video-link. But he pointed out that the pledges made to meet that goal were insufficient, and in some cases were themselves being ignored. The UN secretary-general warned that if the global community does not change course, the globe may be headed towards a “catastrophic” temperature increase of more than 3C (5.4F) this century. “Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency,” Guterres asked. “That is why today, I call on all leaders worldwide to declare a State of Climate Emergency in their countries until carbon neutrality is reached.” The state of emergency should remain in place until carbon neutrality is achieved, meaning that no more additional greenhouse gases are being pumped into the Earth’s atmosphere, Guterres said. He said G20 nations – responsible for the lion’s share of carbon pollution – were spending 50 percent more in their rescue packages on sectors linked to fossil fuels than to low-carbon energy. “This is unacceptable. We cannot use these resources to lock in policies that burden future generations with a mountain of debt on a broken planet,” Guterres said, urging countries that had already announced net-zero targets to make good on their promises and to accelerate emissions cuts in line with the science. “Every country, city, financial institution and company needs to adapt plans reach zero emissions by 2050, and start executing them now, including by providing clear short-term targets,” Guterres added. The UN chief said key emitting sectors such as aviation and shipping must also “present new transformational road maps in line with this goal”. “Climate action can be the catalyst for new jobs, better health and resilient infrastructure.”