Climate Breakdown Has Begun with Hottest Summer on Record, Secretary-General Warns, Calling on Leaders to ‘Turn Up the Heat Now’ for Climate Solutions

The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:

The dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting.

Our planet has just endured a season of simmering — the hottest summer on record.  Climate breakdown has begun.

Scientists have long warned what our fossil fuel addiction will unleash.  Our climate is imploding faster than we can cope with extreme weather events hitting every corner of the planet.

Surging temperatures demand a surge in action.  Leaders must turn up the heat now for climate solutions.  We can still avoid the worst of climate chaos — and we don’t have a moment to lose.