The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has called for urgent action at the upcoming COP28 talks in Dubai. He stressed that the world is far off track when it comes to tackling global warming and that commitments by countries to cut greenhouse gases are not enough to prevent warming far beyond safe limits, potentially reaching a catastrophic 2.9 degrees Celsius this century.
In a new report, the UN has warned that current policies are leading the planet to a dangerous temperature increase of three degrees. This is despite efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, with the world continuing to release record levels of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Emissions increased by 1.2% from 2021 to 2022, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels and industrial processes.
Guterres criticized the failure of leadership and the betrayal of the vulnerable, calling for increased ambition in national plans to meet 1.5 degrees and end the use of fossil fuels. He stated that current trends are leading the planet to a dangerous temperature increase and that urgent action is needed at COP28 in Dubai to define necessary steps to combat climate change.
The upcoming climate negotiations at COP28 will be key in addressing these issues and defining necessary steps to combat climate change. It is important that leaders take action and show increased ambition in their national plans to prevent catastrophic warming and ensure a sustainable future for all people on Earth.