UN warns of urgent need to reverse situation created by climate change

The UN General Assembly today continues a high-level event on the urgency of climate action in the face of numerous natural disaster-related losses around the world.

The day before, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released a report showing the extensive damage caused by climate change.

In 2018, most of the natural hazards that affected nearly 62 million people were associated with extreme weather events. In addition, these phenomena left a balance of two million displaced.

Some 49 billion dollars in economic losses and increased hunger due to drought and destruction of crops were other negative balances of climate change, the WMO said.

Floods appear as the meteorological phenomenon that reached the most people: 35 million, according to a study of 281 climate events recorded by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Meanwhile, droughts, floods and storms (including hurricanes and cyclones) led to an increase in disaster-induced displacement.

WMO also warned that the exposure of the agricultural sector to such phenomena threatens to reverse the progress made in ending malnutrition and famine.

Figures provided by the meteorological agency show the consequences of climate change that are already being felt – for example – in a record rise in temperature and sea level.

This warming trend began at the turn of the century and it is expected to continue, experts warned.

Extreme weather conditions continued in the first months of 2019: just a few days ago Cyclone Idai hit several African countries and it is now listed as one of the deadliest in the southern hemisphere.

According to UN Secretary General António Guterres, all this highlights the need to act quickly and adopt concrete measures as soon as possible, among them, to stop subsidizing fossil fuels that cause the emission of greenhouse gases and switch to clean energy.

In the next decade, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 45 percent to avoid major disasters, he said.

In addition, Guterres called for more investment in renewable energy sources.

To accelerate the response to the effects of climate change, the U.N. Secretary-General convened a summit on Sept. 23 on the issue and he called on international leaders to propose specific mitigation and adaptation actions.

He also noted that most UN member states recognize that there is a link between climate change and security.

The President of the General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa, recalled that the event on climate action and sustainable development that has been taking place at the UN since yesterday is part of the efforts to move to action.

Leaders from 146 countries, including five heads of state and government, and more than 20 ministers, are participating in the event.

(Taken from PL in Spanish)