United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is never at a loss for words when it comes to his favorite topic — the fiction that mankind is destroying the planet with our reckless use of fossil fuel. Guterres claimed that the world is now at “a moment of truth” as it pertains to climate change.
In remarks at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Guterres blasted fossil fuel companies, called for advertising bans, and urged banks and investors to cease doing business with them. The remarks were made in recognition of World Environment Day.
Guterres claimed that the planet is heading toward an extinction-level event and that mankind will ultimately be responsible.
“In the case of climate, we are not the dinosaurs. We are the meteor,” Guterres mused. “We are not only in danger. We are the danger.”
“We are at a moment of truth,” he concluded.
Guterres warned that the Earth’s “climate budget,” or the amount of CO2 the atmosphere the earth can handle, is rapidly dwindling.
“Brand new data from leading climate scientists released today show the remaining carbon budget to limit long-term warming to 1.5 degrees is now around 200 billion tonnes,” he claimed. “That is the maximum amount of carbon dioxide that the earth’s atmosphere can take if we are to have a fighting chance of staying within the limit. The truth is… we are burning through the budget at reckless speed — spewing out around 40 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.”
The secretary-general let listeners know just how important it is to hold global warming to 1.5C — something that couldn’t be guaranteed whatever emissions are.
“The difference between 1.5 and two degrees could be the difference between extinction and survival for some small island states and coastal communities. The difference between minimizing climate chaos or crossing dangerous tipping points. 1.5 degrees is not a target. It is not a goal. It is a physical limit,” Guterres stressed. “The collapse of the Greenland Ice Sheet and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet with catastrophic sea level rise; The destruction of tropical coral reef systems and the livelihoods of 300 million people; The collapse of the Labrador Sea Current that would further disrupt weather patterns in Europe; And widespread permafrost melt that would release devastating levels of methane, one of the most potent heat-trapping gasses.”
Guterres had very harsh words for members of the fossil fuel industry, whom he called “the Godfathers of climate chaos.” He accused them of standing in the way of climate action with deception.
“We must directly confront those in the fossil fuel industry who have shown relentless zeal for obstructing progress — over decades,” he urged. “Billions of dollars have been thrown at distorting the truth, deceiving the public, and sowing doubt.”
Guterres claimed that the fossil fuel companies were standing in the way of a planet powered by windmills and solar panels solely because of profit. He urged them to instead lead the way to that uncertain future.
“I call on leaders in the fossil fuel industry to understand that if you are not in the fast lane to clean energy transformation, you are driving your business into a dead end — and taking us all with you,” Guterres begged. “Doubling down on fossil fuels in the twenty-first century is like doubling down on horse-shoes and carriage-wheels in the nineteenth. So, to fossil fuel executives, I say: your massive profits give you the chance to lead the energy transition.”
Banks and investors were urged to quickly get out of the fossil fuel business and instead fund the windmills and solar panels.
“Financial institutions are also critical because money talks,” the UN chief remarked. “I urge financial institutions to stop bankrolling fossil fuel destruction and start investing in a global renewables revolution.”
Guterres put in a good word for ESG as well, saying banks should “present public, credible and detailed plans to transition [funding] from fossil fuels to clean energy with clear targets for 2025 and 2030; And to disclose your climate risks — both physical and transitional — to your shareholders and regulators. Ultimately such disclosure should be mandatory.”
The United Nations appears to have placed all of their eggs in the climate-change basket. Guterres’ desperate remarks don’t come from a leader concerned with the future of humanity, but a politician concerned with losing his grip on power.
