UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that without further action, humans will experience a global temperature rise of 2.8 degrees Celsius.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday condemned fossil fuel giants for ignoring their own climate science, accusing the oil and gas industry of seeking to expand production despite knowing “very well” that its business model is incompatible with human survival.
“Some in Big Oil are telling big lies,” Guterres said during a special speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “And like the tobacco industry, those responsible must be held.”
His comments came shortly after research showed how Exxon Mobilone of the world’s largest oil companies, has accurately predicted global warming since the 1970s only to contradict its own research for decades.
The study, published last week in the journal Science, said Exxon’s personal predictions of global temperature rise were often more accurate than those of world-renowned NASA scientists. Exxon has since denied the allegations.
Previous research papers have found that Exxon has been aware of the dangers of global warming since the late 1970s, while other oil industry bodies have been aware of the risks associated with burning fossil fuels since at least the 1950s.
The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas, is the main cause of the climate emergency.
“Every week brings a new climate horror story,” Guterres said, warning that commitments to limit global temperature increases to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels “go up in smoke.” This temperature threshold is an aspirational target set in the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement.
It is recognized as important because beyond this level, the so-called tipping point becomes more likely. This is the threshold where small changes can lead to dramatic changes in the entire life support system on Earth.
Guterres said that without further action, humans will face a global temperature rise of 2.8 degrees Celsius.
“The consequences will be devastating. Some parts of our planet will be uninhabitable. And for many, this is a death sentence,” he said.
“But it’s not a surprise,” Guterres said. “The science has been clear for decades. I’m not just talking about UN scientists. I’m talking about fossil fuel scientists.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently called for what he described as a “massive public relations machine that generates billions to protect the fossil fuel industry from scrutiny.”
Sean Gallup Getty Images News | Getty Images
Referring to research published in Science last week, Guterres said, “Like the tobacco industry, they are riding on their own science.”
“Today, fossil fuel producers and enablers are still racing to expand production, knowing full well that this business model is inconsistent with human survival,” he said.
“Now, this madness belongs in science fiction, but we know that ecosystem collapse is a cold, hard scientific fact.”
The world’s leading climate scientists warned last year that the battle to keep global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius had reached “now or never” territory. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has reiterated its call for a major reduction in the use of fossil fuels to prevent global warming.