Together, we must tackle growing hunger, urges Guterres  

Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday denounced the existing global financial system as “morally bankrupt” and called on youth leaders gathered for a UN summit in Montreal, Canada, to push for justice so that all countries, especially in the developing world, have the tools needed to curb biodiversity loss and restore the balance between humans and nature.

Access to electricity has transformed the world, helping countries to develop their economies, and lifting millions out of poverty. However, this success has come at a great cost: the energy sector, heavily reliant on fossil fuels, is responsible for some 40 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions – one of the so-called greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the Earth – and almost two-thirds of these emissions come from coal.

Climate change “is still moving much faster than we are,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Thursday, calling for the political will, innovation and financing to cut global emissions by at least 25 per cent over the next two years.