New Delhi: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the G20 should demonstrate leadership by maintaining the 1.5 degrees Celsius objective, restoring trust based on climate justice, and promoting a just and equitable transition to a green economy.
Countries committed at the 2015 Paris climate negotiations to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels (1850-1900) to prevent catastrophic, irreversible consequences of climate change.
We cannot afford to waste any more time; difficulties lie in every direction I look. At a news conference held the day before the G20 Summit, Guterres lamented that "the collective response is lacking in ambition, credibility, and urgency" in the face of a deepening climate disaster.—Inputs from Agencies