Stating that ‘nature does not negotiate’, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has given a call to the governments to give priority to four key measures for reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.
Noting that the objective is not to have an increase of more than 1.5 degree at the end of the century, he said that this could be achieved only if four key areas were given priority. The Secretary General made this statement in New Zealand.
The four priorities that he emphasised are Tax Pollution and Not people, Stop Subsidizing Fossil Fuels, Stop Building New Coal Plants by 2020 and Focus on Green Economy and not Grey Economy.
On Tax Pollution, Antonio Guterres said that the government’ should think of ‘carbon pricing’, which means placing taxes on carbon emission. He noted the taxpayer’s money should not be used for subsidising fossil fuels and thus increasing the chances of hurricanes, drought, heat waves and melting of ice.
Further, he said that if the coal power plants under construction become operational, it would add another 155 giga tonnes of emission and increasing the temperature by two degrees. The general secretary mentioned that green economy is the future and grey economy has no future. He also asked the youth and the civil society to make the governments convince the importance of a green economy.
