UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres

There is no room to deliberate on confining global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres in Fiji last week reaffirmed the UN’s position that climate change is a global crisis that requires stronger political will and action.

Guterres says with the Pacific Island States at the forefront of climate change effects, it is their moral authority to demand more action.

As part of the UN General Assembly in September, the UNSG will host a climate action summit in which the global warming target will be non-negotiable.

“Now and this is one of the objectives of the Summit, it needs to be very clear that the world cannot have an increase of temperature in the end of the century above 1.5 degrees, that’s what the scientists said needs to be implemented. The world needs to accept that for that, we need to achieve net, zero emissions or carbon neutrality in 2050.”

Meanwhile, President of Nauru and Pacific Island Forum Secretariat Chair, Baron Waqa made an impassioned plea to the UNSG to hold the world account.

Climate change Waqa says is the single greatest threat to our Blue Pacific region.

He says there have been talks and deliberations about the science for years and there is no doubt that we are facing an unprecedented global catastrophe.