Humanity is rapidly approaching a climate catastrophe: entire cities are sinking under water; inhabitants of many regions of the planet suffer from unprecedented heat and terrifying hurricanes; there is an acute shortage of drinking water; Millions of plant and animal species are dying out.
“This is not fiction or an exaggeration,” said António Guterres. – This is what the current energy policy is leading to. We are on track for global warming that is more than double the 1.5 degree Celsius agreed limit in Paris. Some statesmen and businessmen say one thing and do another. Simply put, they lie. The consequences of this lie will be catastrophic.”
Climatologists, who prepared the report published on Monday, warned that humanity is dangerously close to tipping points, which will be followed by irreversible climate consequences. “Governments and high-emission corporations are not just turning a blind eye to this, they are adding fuel to the fire,” António Guterres said. — They are strangling our planet, based on momentary selfish interests. They stubbornly continue to invest in fossil fuels, while cheaper renewable energy solutions can provide employment, energy security, and stable pricing.”
In order to still reach the 1.5-degree temperature limit agreed in Paris, humanity needs to cut global emissions by 45 percent already this decade. At the same time, existing climate commitments mean that emissions will not decrease, but increase by 14 percent.