The United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for accelerated climate action and greater ambition in realising pledges countries made in the Paris Agreement.
According to www.unnews.org, Guterres warned the global community that the world is still a long way from addressing the challenge of global warming.
The UN chief hinted at the possibility of using carbon pricing to accelerate climate action as the “window to reduce carbon emissions might close in 20 years”.
“The window of opportunity to meet the two-degree target may close in 20 years or less—and we may have only five years to bend the emissions curve towards 1.5 degrees. We need at least a further 25 per cent cut in emissions by 2020. And carbon pricing is an extremely important instrument that must be developed,” Guterres said.
He said he plans to convene a Climate Summit to mobilise political and economic energy at the highest levels in September 2019.
“I ask world leaders to show courage in combatting entrenched interests; wisdom in investing in the opportunities of the future; and compassion in caring [for] what kind of world we build for our children,” Guterres said.
Guterres’ call comes weeks after the Emissions Gap report in 2017 released by the World Meteorological Organisation in October revealed that the pledges governments made in the 2015 Paris Agreement are only a third of what is required to limit global warming.