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WORLD NEWS Thursday 9 May 2019

UN chief says 'total disaster' if warming not stopped

By SETH BORENSTEIN make necessary change.
EDITH M. LEDERER Here are some excerpts
Associated Press from the 25-minute
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The interview with Guterres,
United Nations secretary- who said he used to love
general said the world steak houses but now only
must dramatically change goes once every three
the way it fuels factories, months because livestock
vehicles and homes to contribute significantly to
limit future warming to a warming. The questions and
level scientists call nearly answers have been edited
impossible. for clarity and length:
That's because the Q: How can you be
alternative "would mean optimistic?
a catastrophic situation A: That is the paradox.
for the whole world," Things are getting worse.
António Guterres told The Temperatures are rising
Associated Press in an faster than expected. We
exclusive interview. see the Arctic melting. We
Guterres said he's about see glaciers disappearing.
to tour Pacific islands to We see corals bleaching.
see how climate change We see biodiversity being
is devastating them as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during an interview at United Nations dramatically threatened.
part of his renewed push headquarters on Tuesday, May 7, 2019. So things are getting
to fight it. He is summoning Associated Press worse and worse. But
world leaders to the U.N. the political will has been
in September to tell them Global temperatures economic changes Jonathan Overpeck said it slow. We need to reverse
"they need to do much have already risen about needed to keep the looks unlikely that the world this trend. We need to
more in order for us to be 1.8 degrees (1 degree temperature from rising could prevent another make people understand
able to reverse the present Celsius) since the industrial another degree or more 1.8 degrees (1 Celsius) that this is not sustainable.
trends and to defeat the age began. The issue may be painful, but there of warming, let alone 0.9 And the reason why I'm
climate change." is how much more the will be more pain if the degrees. optimistic is that I feel that
That means, he said, the thermometers will rise. world fails. And in an odd way more and more people are
world has to change, not in In 2015, the world's nations "If you don't hang on to that gives the U.N. chief convinced of that. And as
small incremental ways but set a goal to limit global that goal, what you'll optimism. more and more people
in big "transformative" ways, warming to no more than achieve is a total disaster," Because as disasters mount are convinced of that, I
into a green economy with 0.9 degrees (0.5 degrees the secretary-general said and deaths increase, the believe governments will
electric vehicles and "clean Celsius) from now. Most in his 38th floor conference public, especially youths, feel the need to increase
cities." scientists say it is highly room. will realize that warming their political will which at
Guterres said he will ask unlikely, if not outright If countries only do what is "a dramatic threat to this present moment is still
leaders to stop subsidizing undoable, to keep man- they promised in the 2015 the whole of humankind," lagging behind.
fossil fuels. Burning coal, oil made climate change Paris climate agreement, Guterres said. You have seen the fantastic
and gas triggers warming that low, especially it would be catastrophic So the worse it gets, the attitude of young girls and
by releasing heat-trapping since emissions of heat because the world would more people will demand boys making a strike in favor
gases. trapping gases are rising, warm by another 4.5 change, he said. of climate action. You see
He said he wants countries renewable energy growth degrees (2.5 degrees That's why he's about to more and more business
to build no new coal power is plateauing, and some Celsius), Guterres said, visit the islands of Fiji, Tuvalu and communities assuming
plants after 2020. He wants countries' leaders and adding "that is why we and Vanuatu in the Pacific responsibilities.
them to put a price on voters are balking. A panel need to dramatically Ocean, which he said is hit Q: Can you fight climate
the use of carbon. And of scientists the U.N. asked accelerate... what hardest by climate change. change and biodiversity
ultimately he wants to to look at the issue ran everybody knows needs to Guterres said he wants loss at the same time?
make sure that by 2050 the computer models for more be done." to use the determination A: Climate change is a
world is no longer putting than 500 future scenarios, Yet, globally the trends and moral authority of major threat to biodiversity.
more greenhouse gases and less than 2% achieved are going the other way. the people who live on It's because of climate
into the air than nature those warming limits. University of Michigan the threatened islands to change that species are
sucks out. Guterres said the wholesale environment dean convince world leaders to disappearing. q