At the COP29 climate summit in Baku, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning to world leaders that, facing a 2024 of record heat and unprecedented climate disasters, he urged nations to act immediately to limit global warming to 1.5°C and to boost climate finance.
“The sound you are hearing is the ticking of the clock, we are in the final countdown, and time is not on our side,” he said. Guterres stressed that climate destruction knows no borders, citing events such as hurricanes, rising sea levels and droughts, all exacerbated by human activity.
Stressing the need to “break down the walls of climate finance,” he called for increased support to protect vulnerable populations and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
Decisions made today will determine whether the world moves toward resilience or further into climate chaos, he said.
The Baku summit is a decisive moment to unite international efforts in the face of the climate emergency, Guterres‘ calls are a reminder that every delay increases the human and environmental cost that humanity will have to pay.
