I know there's a lot going on in the news, but the Secretary General of the United Nations @antonioguterres gave an remarkable, urgent speech on climate change on Monday. It's worth reading the highlights (thread) -->
"I have asked you here to sound the alarm... We face a direct existential threat. Climate change is moving faster than we are... Let there be no doubt about the urgency of the crisis. We are experiencing record-breaking temperatures around the world."
"What makes all of this even more disturbing is that we were warned. Scientists have been telling us for decades. Over and over again. Far too many leaders have refused to listen. Far too few have acted with the vision the science demands. We see the results."
"We know what is happening to our planet. We know what we need to do. And we even know how to do it. But sadly, the ambition of our action is nowhere near where it needs to be."
"There is another reason to act: moral duty. The world’s richest nations are the most responsible for the climate crisis, yet the effects are being felt first and worst by the poorest nations and the most vulnerable peoples and communities."
"Every day we fail to act is a day that we step a little closer towards a fate that none of us wants -- a fate that will resonate through generations in the damage done to humankind and life on earth. Our fate is in our hands."
"The planet marked another grim milestone: the highest monthly average for carbon dioxide levels ever recorded... But we have now surpassed 411 parts per million and the concentrations continue to rise. This is the highest concentration in 3 million years."
"The high level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is making rice crops less nutritious, threatening well-being and food security for billions... More people will be forced to migrate from their homes... This is already leading to many local conflicts over dwindling resources."
"If we do not change course by 2020, we risk missing the point where we can avoid runaway climate change, with disastrous consequences for people and all the natural systems that sustain us."
"Nothing less than our future and the fate of humankind depends on how we rise to the climate challenge."
"There is no more time to waste... It is not too late to shift course, but every day that passes means the world heats up a little more and the cost of our inaction mounts... The world is counting on all of us to rise to the challenge before it’s too late."
