‘Now Is the Time to Speak Up, Louder than Ever’ for Climate Action, Says Secretary-General at Time Earth Awards Event

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks for the Time CO2 Earth Awards gala dinner, in New York today:

It is an honour to accept this award.  I do so on behalf of United Nations staff working around the world to support climate action and climate justice.

Since Time magazine launched a 100 years ago, there has been plenty to report on:  crumbling empires, moon landings, a world war, a cold war and a digital revolution.  But, climate was the story of the century.  As it will be of the next.

It is a story of the fight for human survival.  A story still unfinished.  And a story of recklessness, injustice and greed:  We are set to increase global temperatures by 2.8°C this century — far more than the 1.5°C limit on which countries have agreed. This spells catastrophe:  Ecological destruction, poverty and peril for billions, and a death sentence for small island States.

Already, rising temperatures are wreaking havoc everywhere.  And the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalized, who have done the least to cause the crisis, are suffering the most.

Fossil fuel barons continue to pocket massive profits, as rising prices strain household budgets and pollution chokes our cities.  And protestors speaking truth to power are arrested, imprisoned and even killed.  That is the bad news.

But, there is good news, too.  This is also a story of hope.  A story being written by people around the world.  Particularly the young.

People on shoe-string budgets — or with no resources at all — fighting the fossil-fuel giants spending billions to greenwash, distract and deceive.  People organizing, educating and finding practical solutions.  People like the Pacific island students whose campaigning helped to secure a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly last month.  A resolution to ask the International Court of Justice — the world’s highest court — to give its opinion on countries’ obligations to their citizens on climate change.  Their efforts are making a difference.

Around the world, minds are changing, and understanding is growing.  A survey of more than a million people in 50 countries, conducted during the COVID crisis, found that almost two thirds described climate change as an emergency.  People power is demanding that Governments act. And in many countries, market economics are pushing in the same direction.

The cost of solar energy has plummeted 85 per cent in a decade.  Investment in renewables creates three times more jobs than fossil fuels. And [the Russian Federation’s] invasion of Ukraine has shown that energy security is a pipedream while economies remain hostage to fossil fuels.  Put simply, decarbonization is inevitable.

Four years ago, no major economy had committed to net-zero emissions.  Today, 90 per cent of the global economy has signed up, although not always with the right time frame.  And the world is set to add as much renewable power in the next five years as it has in the last 20.

But, this progress is not inclusive enough or quick enough. Even now, new coal power plants are being built.  New licenses for oil and gas are erasing hard-won gains.  We must halve global emissions by 2030, but emissions are rising.

Governments must move much faster.  So, I have proposed an Acceleration Agenda, urging them to:  hit fast forward on their net-zero timelines, turn their backs on fossil fuels and deliver climate justice for vulnerable countries and communities.

First-movers can demonstrate their leadership at the Climate Ambition Summit I will host in September.  And all of you here can help to make those ambitions a reality.  People power is renewable energy that can move the dial.  But, we need to up the pressure.

So, my parting message tonight is to people everywhere:  Now is the time to speak up, louder than ever.  In your workplaces, your schools, your faith groups and your communities.  Tell your Governments, your banks and the businesses you buy from:  no more excuses, no more half-measures.  We need real climate action now.

History is coming for the planet-wreckers.  For the fossil fuel barons and their enablers, profiting from destruction.  Together, the rest of us can write a different story.