UN Chief Antonio Guterres disappointed with COP25 summit in Madrid

United Nations head Antonio Guterres said that he was not happy with the way a very significant climate summit ended in the Spanish city of Madrid, adding that an opportunity passed by to tackle the issue of global warming crisis. Guterres said that COP25 ended with highlighting an immediate need for new promises on cutting carbon emissions but falling short of what was required to implement them. The UN chief said that he will not give up and encouraged that everyone should not give up in their fight against climate change. Guterres further added that he would work towards making 2020 the year wherein the international community joins hands to tackle climate change and reach carbon neutrality by the year 2050 and not witness a rise in global temperatures by 1.5-degree.

'Running out of time'

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke extensively on climate change and other pollution-related issues at COP25. The 2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference took place in Madrid, Spain where he spoke in a hangar-like conference centre. Antonio Guterres spoke in front of a group of ministers from different countries who were in attendance to come to a mutual decision for the 2015 Paris agreement dealing with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance on Climate change.

Guterres in his speech urged major emitters like India, China, and the United States to send a clear signal that they were ready to increase resolve in order to tackle climate change at next year's summit and commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.  Guterres said that the big emitters would have to take responsibility for understanding their roles and if they failed, the entire process would fail. He went on to say that "if we just go on as we are, we are doomed."

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COP25

COP25 was planned to be held in Brazil but the newly-elected President Jair Bolsonaro withdrew the offer citing economic reasons. Chile stepped up and offered to host the conference but then social unrest in the country forced the UN to shift the host location to Spain. Delegates were in Madrid to decide and negotiate the terms on carbon markets. Under the deal, countries are supposed to submit stringent targets to cut down carbon emissions before the next annual round off talks in Glasgow. Scientists said that current pledges by countries were not enough to stabilise the present climate condition on earth.

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(With inputs from agencies)