The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, reported that data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) affirms that July 2023 is set to be the hottest month in history.
During a press conference held on July 27 in New York, Guterres underlined that July has already recorded the hottest three-week period recorded in history, the three hottest days recorded, and the highest ocean temperatures during this season, emphasizing the extreme consequences of these rising temperatures.
“The consequences are clear and tragic; children swept away by monsoon rains, families running from the flames, workers collapsing in scorching heat,” stressed Guterres, adding that these consequences are disastrous for the plant.
In a similar context, the United Nations (UN) Chief underlined that such consequences were already expected, as scientists repeatedly predicted and warned of the extreme impact of climate change, noting that the fast escalation of climate change impact is alarming.
“Climate change is here, it is terrifying, and it is just the beginning,” emphasized the UN official, underlining that “the era of global warming has ended and the era of global boiling has arrived.”
In this context, Guterres called on leaders to take dramatic, immediate, and joint climate action to fight against climate change, stressing that “it is still possible to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C and avoid the very worst of climate change.”
Citing several upcoming summits and meetings on climate change, such as the Africa Climate Summit, the G20 Summit, the UN Climate Ambition Summit, and COP28, the UN Chief stressed the importance of seizing these opportunities to take more ambitious and concrete initiatives to face climate change.
“Leaders, particularly the G20 countries responsible for 80% of global emissions, must step up for climate action and climate justice,” stated Guterres, recommending setting up new ambitious emissions reduction targets and joining efforts in line with the Climate Solidarity Pact and Acceleration Agenda.
In addition, the UN official also called on “companies, cities, regions, and financial institutions to come to the Climate Ambitious Summit with credible transition plans that are fully aligned with the United Nations Net Zero standard presented by our High-Level Expert Group.”
Our climate is changing around us faster than predicted. From more frequent and extreme storms to unprecedented heatwaves, we are witnessing the impacts of human-caused global warming.
Climate change is not a problem that governments can solve alone, as it necessitates collaboration across regional governments, businesses, and communities.
