COP26: António Guterres warns of ‘code red for humanity’

By Nneka Nwogwugwu

United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has stressed that the latest scientific report on climate change was “a thundering wake-up call” and “the climate crisis is a code red for humanity”, just days before the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

The new report by the UN Environment Programme warns that plans submitted by 120 countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions fall woefully short of what is truly needed to avert global warming.

The head of the United Nations, speaking in New York on Tuesday, said a “leadership gap” is undermining the world’s efforts to curb global warming, and that time is running out to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris accord.

“The time has passed for diplomatic niceties. If governments — especially G20 governments — do not stand up and lead this effort, we are headed for terrible human suffering. But all countries need to realise that the old, carbon-burning model of development is a death sentence for their economies and for our planet,” Guterres expressed.

The plans submitted by the 120 countries run to 2030 and aim for a global temperature threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Together, they aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 7.5%.