UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres demands bigger climate action from countries

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke extensively on climate change and other pollution-related issues at COP25. The 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference is taking place at Madrid in Spain this year where he was speaking in a hangar-like conference centre. Antonio Guterres was speaking in front of a group of ministers from different countries who are there to come to a decision on a common minimum program for the 2015 Paris agreement. 

Read: World's 'war Against Nature Must Stop', Says UN's Antonio Guterres Ahead Of COP25

UN-head Antonio Guterres on climate change

Delegations are in Spain to decide and negotiate the terms on carbon markets. Under the deal, countries are supposed to submit stringent targets to cut down carbon emissions before the next annual round off talks in Glasgow. Scientists say that current pledges by countries are nowhere near enough to stabilise the earth's climate.   

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Guterres in his speech urged major emitters like India, China, and the United States to send a clear signal that they are ready to increase their ambition in next year's summit and will commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. While speaking to the media after the conference, Guterres said that the big emitters will have to take responsibility for understanding their roles and if they fail, the entire process will fail. He went on to say that "if we just go on as we are, we are doomed." 

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COP25 was planned to be held in Brazil but the newly-elected President Jair Bolsonaro withdrew the offer citing economic reasons. Chile stepped up and offered to host the conference but then social unrest in the country forced the UN to shift the host location to Spain. Youth climate change activist Greta Thunberg is also attending the summit. Ahead of the conference, Antonio Guterres on December 1 said that 'war against nature must stop'. Guterres urged the global leaders at COP25 to find more political will in order to tackle the climate crisis of the planet. 

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(With inputs from agencies)