United States: United Nations Secretary-General Mr. Antonio Guterres has called for immediate radical action on climate change, stating that record-breaking July temperatures show Earth has entered into an “era of global boiling.”
Speaking in New York, Mr. Guterres referred to the intense heat across the northern hemisphere as a “cruel summer.”
“For the entire planet, it is a disaster,” the UN Secretary General stated, noting that “short of a mini-Ice Age over the next few days, July 2023 will shatter records across the board.”
“Climate change is here. It is terrifying. And it is just the beginning. The era of global warming has ended. The era of global boiling has arrived,” Mr. Guterres remarked.
According to ERA5 data from the European Union-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service, the first three weeks of July have been the warmest three-week period on record, and the month is on track to be the hottest July and the hottest month on record.
Recently, United States President Mr. Joe Biden called the rising temperatures from climate change an “existential threat.”
“I don’t think anybody can deny the impact of climate change anymore,” Mr. Biden said at the White House.
According to Mr. Guterres, the extreme impacts of climate change have been in line with scientists’ “predictions and repeated warnings, and the only surprise is the speed of the change.”
In the face of “tragic” consequences, the Secretary General repeated his call for immediate and far-reaching action, stressing once again at the fossil fuel sector.
“Leaders must lead. No more hesitancy. No more excuses. No more waiting for others to move first,” the UN chief added.
Ahead of the Climate Ambition Summit in September, Mr. Guterres called on developed countries to commit to achieving carbon neutrality as close to 2040 as possible and for emerging economies as close as possible to 2050.
RELATED | Heatwaves result from human-caused climate crisis; Report
