"Countries could become so consumed by the immediate fossil fuel supply gap that they neglect or knee-cap policies to cut fossil fuel use," Guterres said in a video address to an event organized by The Economist. “This is madness.”

Along with the energy pact signed by the EU and the US as well as plans by Germany to increase its supply of crude oil from the Gulf and speed up the building of terminals to receive US liquefied natural gas LNG), Guterres was also critical of remarks by White House press secretary Jen Psaki that the war in Ukraine is a reason for American oil and gas producers to "go get more supply out of the ground in our own country."

“Instead of hitting the brakes on the decarbonization of the global economy, now is the time to put the pedal to the metal towards a renewable energy future," Guterres said against the backdrop of a two-week meeting of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to finalize its latest report about the world's efforts to curb for greenhouse gas emissions.
 

Commenting on the findings of a separate report, released in February, Guterres noted that half of humanity is already at serious risk from climate change, and this will increase with each tenth of a degree of warming. The Paris climate accord's goal of holding global warming to 1.5°C is "on life support," he added, because countries aren't doing enough to drive down emissions.

Keeping the Paris target alive will require a 45% cut in global emissions by 2030. The report found, however, after a pandemic-related dip in 2020, emissions rose again in 2021. "If we continue with more of the same, we can kiss 1.5 goodbye," Guterres said. 

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist