United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned of the evils of climate change Thursday, urging “greater ambition” to move away from fossil fuels.
“Our climate is breaking down, threatening water and food security, driving displacement, and fueling political instability,” Guterres stated on X (former Twitter).
“We need far greater ambition to slash emissions and deliver climate justice, starting with the biggest emitters,” he added.
“Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century,” contends the Portuguese Socialist. “It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere.”
Earlier this week, Guterres visited the former Soviet Socialist Republic of Kyrgyzstan, which, he asserted, “stands on the frontlines of the climate crisis despite its negligible contribution to the problem.”
He praised local communities and young climate advocates for sharing their experiences, ideas, and solutions for “Climate Action.”
According to the United Nations, in Kyrgyzstan “increasing temperatures are leading to more frequent and intense extreme events, such as drought, unpredictable seasonal weather, and an increasing number of natural disasters such as landslides, mudflows, and avalanches.”
“The science is clear: climate change is the biggest threat to the Earth and future generations,” states the website of the U.N. Development Program in speaking of Kyrgyzstan.
Despite the Secretary-General’s praise for Kyrgyzstan’s commitment to the environment and its “negligible contribution” to ecological problems, it is in fact a major polluter.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres disembarks from a golf cart during his visit to Sun Temple at Modhera in Mehsana district of western Gujarat state, India, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. Guterres in on a visit to India and Vietnam. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
“At the end of 2020, the capital city of Bishkek was the dirtiest city in the entire world with a US AQI [Air Quality Index] figure of 352. Kyrgyzstan as a country was placed at number 16 in the world table of the cities with the worst air quality,” declares IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company (emphasis added).
Guterres also visited the former Soviet Socialist Republic of Uzbekistan.
“The harnessing of solar power on such a scale demonstrates Uzbekistan’s commitment to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and embrace renewable energy sources,” he said, after visiting an “impressive photovoltaic plant” in the city of Tashkent.
In a rant last month, Guterres called the fossil fuel industry “the godfathers of climate chaos.”
“Climate change is the mother of all stealth taxes paid by everyday people and vulnerable countries and communities,” Guterres said in an address in New York City. “Meanwhile, the godfathers of climate chaos — the fossil fuel industry — rake in record profits and feast off trillions in taxpayer-funded subsidies.”
The world is on a “highway to climate hell” because of the climate emergency and desperately needs an “exit ramp,” he said.
“We are playing Russian roulette with our planet,” he warned.
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