WASHINGTON POST • December 2, 2020
A U.N. State of the Climate report, a product of the World Meteorological Organization and other U.N. agencies, found that the past six years, including 2020, are likely to be the six warmest on record. “To put it simply,” he said in a speech at Columbia University, “the state of the planet is broken.” “Dear friends, humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal,” Guterres said. “Nature always strikes back, and it is already doing so with growing force and fury.” He cited reductions in biodiversity, the bleaching of coral reefs, the fact that the past decade was the hottest in human history, and other indicators to emphasize that time is running out to limit the harms from global warming by reining in greenhouse gas emissions.