On June 5, 2024, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres, announced calling for a “windfall” tax on fossil fuel companies to use said tax dollars to help fight the climate crisis. He calls these companies the “godfathers of climate chaos.”
In light of international conflicts taking place in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, etc. this year, Guterres spoke from the American Museum of Natural History in New York in efforts to focus back on climate change despite world conflicts taking up much of what we see in the news.
In Guterres’ “Moment of Truth” speech on World Environment Day, he mainly emphasized the deceit of fossil fuel companies with the general public, while urging them to invest large sums of money in the energy transition away from coal, gas, and oil.
“We must directly confront those in the fossil fuel industry who have shown relentless zeal for obstructing progress – over decades. Billions of dollars have been thrown at distorting the truth, deceiving the public, and sowing doubt…I urge every country to ban advertising from fossil fuel companies. And I urge news media and tech companies to stop taking fossil fuel advertising.”
He also uses new data from leading climate scientists to bring up the nearing 10 year anniversary since the Paris Agreement, implemented in efforts to limit long-term global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) and that it is hanging on by a thread.
“The truth is that global emissions need to fall nine percent every year to 2030 to keep the 1.5 degree limit alive. But they are heading in the wrong direction. Last year they rose by one percent.”
He reminded the audience of specific consequences to come as a result of global warming, such as the depletion of the Greenland Ice Sheet and of the Labrador Sea Current that would further disrupt weather patterns in Europe.
He thanked young people, civil society, cities, regions, businesses and others who have been upholding honesty and values that are leading the charge towards a safer, cleaner world.
“You are on the right side of history. You speak for the majority. Keep it up. Don’t lose courage. Don’t lose hope. It’s We the Peoples versus the polluters and the profiteers. Together, we can win. But it’s time for leaders to decide whose side they’re on. Tomorrow is too late.”