Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday that the impacts of climate change are arriving sooner and hitting harder than anticipated.
Addressing the 81st session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Guterres said the climate crisis had evolved from a distant warning into a daily reality. He identified climate change as one of four major tests of power facing the world, alongside war and peace, inequality and artificial intelligence.
“Now we face a near certain breach of the 1.5 degree limit, with a supersized El Niño speeding straight for humanity,” Guterres said. “The dangers are real. But so is the hope.”
He recalled his visit to the mountains of Nepal three years ago, when he warned about accelerating glacier melt and said the “rooftops of the world are caving in.”
“Some dismissed it all as overstating dangers,” he said. “But, as tragic events have shown, impacts are arriving sooner, hitting harder, and spreading further than many anticipated.”
Guterres called for climate justice, with a greater focus on adaptation and financing. Developed countries, he said, must honor their commitments, triple adaptation finance and make the Loss and Damage Fund work at scale.
He also urged governments to end deforestation, invest in electricity grids and energy storage, and cut methane emissions.
“Those who polluted the most – and profited the most – must do far more to repair the damage they caused,” Guterres said. “Polluters must pay.”
Guterres said the transition away from fossil fuels should be just and orderly. “Today I call on every government to adopt a national plan to transition away from fossil fuels aligned with 1.5 degrees, with clear timelines and protection for
affected workers and communities,” he said.
He also warned that the extraction of critical minerals needed for the clean-energy transition must not repeat past inequalities. “Producing countries and affected communities should retain a greater share of the value generated from their resources,” he said.
