Guterres at Cop29:“2024 is a master lesson in climate destruction”

The UN Secretary General:"The world must pay, or humanity will pay the price.Climate finance is not charity, it's an investment"

ROME - “2024, a master class on climate destruction”. This is how United Nations Secretary General António Guterres began his speech to world leaders at COP29.“Families running for their lives before the next hurricane hits;workers and pilgrims collapsing in unbearable heat;floods destroying communities and infrastructure;children going to bed hungry while drought devastates crops.All of these disasters, and more, are enhanced by human-caused climate change,” he said.

“No country is spared.Unless emissions plummet and adaptation skyrockets, every economy will face much greater fury.”

“But there is every reason to hope,” Guterres said later, “It is time to get things right and humanity is at your side.”With solar and wind energy as the cheapest source of new electricity almost everywhere,”doubling down on fossil fuels is absurd", he said.

“The world must pay, or humanity will pay the price,” he said.“Climate finance is not charity, it is an investment.Climate action is not optional, it is imperative.Both are indispensable for a livable world for all humanity."