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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the world is facing an "existential" problem as the impact of climate change worsens.
The United Nations chief told the Globe Economic Forum on Wednesday that climate change and the Russia-Ukraine war are mounting a domino effect, leaving the world in a "sorry state."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres gave a somber speech on the second day of the Davos summit, per AP News.
He underscored that the economic downturn and impending recession, climate change, and the destruction of the environment, as well as conflicts like the one in Ukraine, are a part of the "perfect storm" that is currently hurting the world.
Guterres referred to climate change as an "existential" problem for mankind as the 2015 Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is virtually "going up in smoke," VOA reported.
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The UN chief said that the war against climate change is "being lost" and a climatic nightmare occurs every week.
In addition, Guterres lambasted the oil industry for encouraging skepticism about climate change, citing recent research that indicated experts at ExxonMobil, the world's largest producer of oil and gas, made forecasts with "shocking accuracy" decades ago, despite the company's official denial of climate change, according to DW.
We are facing the gravest levels of geopolitical division and mistrust in generations.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) January 18, 2023
At Davos, I urged leaders to bridge divides and restore cooperation to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights.
The World Faces A Gloomy Future
Ukraine has been a major topic of discussion at the Davos summit, and Guterres expressed pessimism about the prospects for peace soon.
He also said that the COVID-19 pandemic, which destroyed many economies and made public health a problem, is still affecting people around the world.
Gutteres warned global leaders that the world is far from prepared for impending pandemics.
"Somehow, after all, we have endured, we have not learned the global public health lessons of the pandemic," he said.
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