UN chief urges human beings to make peace with nature

UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called on human beings to make peace with nature in his speech delivered at Columbia University in New York.

The address marks the beginning of a month of UN-led climate action, which includes the release of major reports on the global climate and fossil fuel production, culminating in a climate summit on Dec. 12, the fifth anniversary of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

Guterres began with a litany of the many ways in which nature is reacting, with "growing force and fury," to humanity's mishandling of the environment, which has seen a collapse in biodiversity, spreading deserts, and oceans reaching record temperatures.

The link between COVID-19 and man-made climate change was also made plain by the UN chief, who noted that the continued encroachment of people and livestock into animal habitats, risks exposing us to more deadly diseases.

And, whilst the economic slowdown resulting from the pandemic has temporarily slowed emissions of harmful greenhouse gases, levels of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane are still rising, with the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere at a record high.

Despite this worrying trend, fossil fuel production -- responsible for a significant proportion of greenhouse gases -- is predicted to continue on an upward path.

The appropriate global response, said the top UN official, is a transformation of the world economy, flicking the "green switch" and building a sustainable system driven by renewable energy, green jobs and a resilient future.

One way to achieve this vision, is by achieving net zero emissions.

The secretary-general said that there are encouraging signs on this front, with countries including Britain, Japan and China committing to the goal over the next few decades.

Guterres called on all countries, cities and businesses to target 2050 as the date by which they achieve carbon neutrality -- to at least halt national increases in emissions -- and for all individuals to do their part.

The secretary-general ended his speech on a note of hope, amid the prospect of a new, more sustainable world in which mindsets are shifting, to take into account the importance of reducing each individual's carbon footprint.