‘Planet Hanging by a Thread’, Secretary-General Warns Responsible Investment Conference, Stressing There Must Be No Room for Fake Movers, Greenwashing

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the Principles for Responsible Investment Conference, held in Barcelona from 30 November to 2 December:

The future of our planet is hanging by a thread.  Conflict and climate disasters are raging.  Economic growth is slowing.  Inequalities are rising.  And a global cost of living crisis is hurting people everywhere.

The world needs urgent and concrete action.  Everyone must be part of the solution and the private sector has an important role to play.  Developing countries need greater liquidity and investment at scale to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals.

We need to speed up debt relief and reward risk taking.  Public and private investors must phase out fossil fuels and triple investments in renewable energy to reach $4 trillion annually by 2030.  We need urgent emissions cuts — with clear transition plans showing how to get there.  And we need transparent, verified reporting to measure the impact of investments towards a net-zero future.

There must be no room for slow movers, fake movers or any form of greenwashing.  The Principles for Responsible Investment bring the global investor community together to work with the public sector to mobilize urgently needed funds and advance a prosperous and sustainable future.  I thank you for your work and wish you a successful meeting.