UN Secretary-General Guterres calls COP31 a moment of truth for climate — The Independent

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, ahead of the COP31 climate conference in Turkey, called on world leaders to urgently step up the fight against climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The conference is scheduled for November 9–20.

As The Independent reports, Guterres called the current situation a “moment of truth.” He said that states can no longer postpone decisions or shift responsibility onto one another, and that all countries must do more now.

The 1.5-degree target

Guterres said that last year, scientists advised him not to claim that the Paris climate agreement’s goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels was still attainable. According to him, the reason was the excessive accumulation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels.

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The UN secretary-general called this conclusion a personal shock. In his view, responsibility for the failure lies not with the world as a whole, but with political leadership. He also stressed that protecting the planet requires long-term solutions and sustained investment, while the course often changes in many political systems.

Proposal for a windfall profits tax

Guterres said that dependence on fossil fuels is a security problem, and that energy shocks linked to wars demonstrate this. At the same time, he called the spread of cheaper solar and wind energy a source of hope.

After floods that claimed more than 1,400 lives in August, while another 5,600 people are considered missing, Guterres said there was a need to support victims of climate change. He proposed taxing the windfall profits of companies linked to fossil fuels and directing these funds to countries suffering most from climate consequences.