23 March 2026 16:24 UTC · UN Secretary-General · UN SG Press Release · Source · Email X Link

UN Secretary-General says global climate in emergency

Key points

Planet Earth pushed beyond its limits
Calls for adaptation finance and just renewable transition

TL;DR

WMO report shows every key climate indicator is flashing red and climate chaos is accelerating
Earth’s energy imbalance is highest on record and greenhouse gas concentrations are highest in hundreds of thousands of years
Calls for a surge in adaptation finance and a just transition to renewable energy; warns delay is deadly

Original text

Secretary-General Statements and Messages Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the launch of the State of the Global Climate Report, in Geneva today: The State of the Global Climate is in a state of emergency. Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red. That is the clear message of the latest report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The report confirms that the Earth’s energy imbalance — the gap between heat absorbed and heat released — is the highest on record. In other words, our planet is trapping heat faster than it can shed it. Greenhouse gas concentrations are higher than at any point in hundreds of thousands of years. Global temperatures continue to rise. Humanity has just endured the 11 hottest years on record. When history repeats itself 11 times, it is no longer a coincidence. It is a call to act. Meanwhile, oceans are absorbing epic levels of heat, fuelling ever stronger storms. Glaciers and sea ice are vanishing. And sea levels are relentlessly rising. These findings are not confined to charts and graphs. They are written into the daily lives of people. In families struggling as droughts and storms drive up food prices; in workers pushed to the brink by extreme heat; in farmers watching crops wither; in communities and homes swept away by floods. Those on the front lines urgently need a surge in adaptation finance to face the here-and-now impacts of the climate crisis. And in this age of war, climate stress is also exposing another truth: Our addiction to fossil fuels is destabilizing both the climate and global security. Now more than ever, we must accelerate a just transition to renewable energy. Renewables deliver climate security, energy security and national security. Today’s report should come with a warning label: Climate chaos is accelerating and delay is deadly. The way ahead must be grounded in science, common sense and the courage to act.

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António Guterres

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