Published 09:55 IST, September 24th 2019
UN Secretary General urges countries to go carbon neutral by 2050
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres concluded the UN summit by listing the 77 countries and urged the world leaders to make Earth carbon-free by 2050.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres concluded the UN summit on September 23 by listing the 77 countries and urged the world leaders to make Earth carbon-free by 2050. 70 nations pledged to take action to fight climate change. He opened the summit on Monday by saying, “Earth is issuing a chilling cry: Stop.” He urged more than 60 world leaders scheduled to speak on Monday that it was past time for negotiations and asked them to take major steps to make the world carbon neutral by 2050.
100 business leaders also promised to join the green economy and one-third of the global banking sector signed up for green goals. Leader after leader promised at the UN on Monday to take proper actions to prevent global warming from reaching even more dangerous levels.
Greta Thunberg shames world leaders for their inaction
Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg shamed the world leaders for their inaction at the Climate Action Summit by frequently saying, "How dare you?"
She said, “I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you have come to us young people for hope. How dare you. You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. We are at the beginning of mass extinction and yet all you can talk about is money,” Thunberg said. “You are failing us.”
After her speech, she along with 15 other youth activists lodged a formal complaint with the UN that protects children by saying that the concerned authorities' lack of action on warming violates their basic rights.
Thunberg began a lone protest outside the Swedish Parliament just a year ago which have escalated into a worldwide movement since, the most recent being Friday's global climate strikes.
Germany and Finland promises to ban coal
In a recent development, nations such as Germany and Finland promised to ban coal within a decade. Several nations also mentioned their own goals and commitments of climate neutrality. Many businesses and charities involved themselves in the cause to prevent global warming. Microsoft founder Bill Gates announced Monday that his foundation along with the World Bank and European governments would provide financial aid of $790 million to 300 million world's small scale farmers adapt to climate change. The Gates Foundation pledged to provide $310 million of that.
(With inputs from AP)
Updated 18:40 IST, September 24th 2019