The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has called on world leaders to phase out oil and gas from their economies and halt new hydrocarbon exploration. Speaking in Tonga at a meeting of Pacific Island leaders, Guterres emphasized the urgent need to address the climate crisis.
“This is a crazy situation: rising seas are a crisis entirely of humanity’s making,” Guterres stated. “A crisis that will soon swell to an almost unimaginable scale, with no lifeboat to take us back to safety.”
Guterres pointed to greenhouse gases, primarily from burning fossil fuels, as the main cause of the problem. “The reason is clear: greenhouse gases – overwhelmingly generated by burning fossil fuels – are cooking our planet. And the sea is taking the heat – literally,” he said. To prevent what he described as an “apocalyptic catastrophe,” Guterres urged an immediate stop to the use of oil, gas, and coal, and called for a suspension of further hydrocarbon exploration.
The UN Chief also issued a stark warning, noting that without drastic emissions cuts, the Pacific Islands could face severe consequences. “Without drastic cuts to emissions, the Pacific Islands can expect at least 15 centimeters of additional sea level rise by mid-century, and more than 30 days per year of coastal flooding in some places,” he warned.
While past predictions that places like the Maldives would be underwater by now have not come to pass, Pacific Island nations remain some of the most vocal supporters of the global energy transition. They argue that they are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, particularly rising sea levels.
In a direct appeal to the G20 nations, Guterres called on these countries to finance the energy transition, arguing that they have the financial capacity to do so, unlike poorer Pacific Island nations and developing countries. He also urged world leaders to finalize their nationally determined contributions to the energy transition by next year, as agreed at the previous climate conference.
“And the world must massively increase finance and support for vulnerable countries. We need a surge in funds to deal with surging seas,” Guterres concluded.