‘Global warming era over, global boiling era here’ says UN Chief Antonio Guterres

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sounded the alarm on the extreme heatwave sweeping the Northern Hemisphere. He called it a “cruel summer” and warned that the Earth has entered an “era of global boiling,” surpassing the previous warming phase.

Guterres emphasised that this scorching July is a disaster for the entire planet, and he predicted that it would likely break numerous temperature records. He stressed that climate change is not a distant threat anymore; it’s a terrifying reality right now. The consequences are severe and immediate.

“The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived,” declared the UN chief.

Scientists’ predictions and warnings about the extreme impacts of climate change have unfortunately turned out to be true. Guterres pointed out that the only surprise has been the alarming speed at which these changes are happening.

Blaming the fossil fuel sector, Guterres criticised their huge profits and lack of action despite the urgent situation.

“The air is unbreathable. The heat is unbearable. And the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable,” said Guterres.

He urged world leaders to stop hesitating and making excuses, calling for immediate and far-reaching action to address the crisis.

Looking ahead to the Climate Ambition Summit scheduled for September, Guterres called on developed countries to commit to carbon neutrality by 2040 and emerging economies to aim for the same goal as close to 2050 as possible.

Amidst the destruction caused by climate change, Guterres urged people to turn despair into action. He called on the world to transform this “year of burning heat” into a “year of burning ambition” to tackle the climate crisis and prevent the worst outcomes.