The climate is changing before our eyes and human emissions of greenhouse gases will heat the planet for many generations to come.
This is stated by the World Meteorological Organization WMO in connection with the UN body releasing its annual report "State of the Global Climate 2021".
According to the WMO, four important indicators of climate change reached global record levels last year: the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, sea level rise and global warming and acidification.
The last seven years are the warmest ever measured in the world - with a global average temperature of about 1.11 degrees higher than during pre-industrial times.
That 2021 "only" became one of the seven warmest years is due, according to WMO, to temporary cooling effects from the weather phenomenon La Niña.
Warns of disaster
The report is nothing more than a "gloomy lament" over man's failure to address the problem, according to the UN Secretary-General.
- We must stop pollution from fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to renewable energy before we set our only home on fire, he says in a video message.
Guterres proposes five measures to speed up the transition.
Among them are wider access to renewable energy technology, triple private and public investments in renewable energy and a halt to fossil subsidies amounting to around $ 11 million (SEK 109 million) per minute.
- While people suffer from high prices at the pump, the oil and gas industry collects billions from a distorted market.
This scandal must end.
Strandhäll comments
Sweden's climate minister Annika Strandhäll (S) was asked to comment on Guterre's statement at a press conference.
- There are some who advocate that we should send the Swedish climate budget to China because Sweden's share of the total emissions is so small.
But if everyone reasoned like that and did not take responsibility for their emissions, the disaster would come faster.
This government's ambition is for us to lead climate change.