In an appearance to the media, the UN chief stressed the need to stop fossil fuel extraction, which will “stress the planet with a catastrophic temperature rise of three degrees Celsius by the end of the century.”
“If we continue like this, and I sincerely hope we don’t, the ice sheets of Greenland and West Antarctica will cross a deadly tipping point,” the High Representative warned after his recent visit to the Arctic continent.
This melting, he added, means a staggering rise in sea levels of around ten meters, while the vicious circle means accelerated warming with shrinking ice and more extreme weather conditions.
At COP28 in Dubai, which begins later this week in the United Arab Emirates, “heads of state and government must break this cycle,” the organization’s head said.
New UN figures show that sea ice at the South Pole is now 1.5 million square kilometers below the average for this time of year.
The number corresponds to the total area of Portugal, Spain, France and Germany combined.
“What happens in Antarctica doesn’t stay in Antarctica; “We live in an interconnected world,” he said.
Melting sea ice directly threatens the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities around the world, he warned.
Looking at possible solutions to this crisis, the Portuguese diplomat recalled the need for global leadership to stop global warming.
“Leaders must act to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, protect people from climate chaos and end the age of fossil fuels,” he added.
Only a global pact to triple the use of renewable energy, double energy efficiency and provide access to clean energy for all by 2030 will be enough, he argued.
Guterres thanked the work of thousands of researchers in Antarctica and around the world who are expanding understanding of the changes on the continent.
“They are a testament to human ingenuity and the immense benefits of international cooperation; “Leaders must not allow people around the world to lose hope for a sustainable planet,” he stressed.
npg/ebr