UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called on Wednesday for a “windfall” tax on the profits of fossil fuel companies to help pay for the fight against global warming, calling them the “godfathers of climate chaos”.
In a bare-knuckled speech timed for World Environment Day, Mr Guterres, who has repeatedly spoken out about the threat of climate change, said that global emissions of carbon dioxide must fall 9% each year to 2030 for the 1.5C target to be kept alive.
The burning of fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal is the main contributor to global warming caused by human activity.
May 2024 was the hottest May in history, marking 12 straight months of hottest months ever.
Our planet is telling us something, but we don’t seem to be listening.
It’s time to mobilise, act & deliver.
It’s #ClimateAction crunch time. pic.twitter.com/7IIy5mJaxg
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) June 5, 2024
He called on advanced economies in the Group of 20 countries, who are holding a summit in Brazil next month, to take the lead.
“We cannot accept a future where the rich are protected in air-conditioned bubbles, while the rest of humanity is lashed by lethal weather in unliveable lands,” Mr Guterres said.
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