AFP, MADRIDConfronted with a climate crisis threatening civilization itself, humanity must choose between hope and surrender, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the opening plenary of a UN climate conference in Madrid yesterday. “One is the path of surrender, where we have sleepwalked past the point of no return, jeopardizing the health and safety of everyone on this planet,” Guterres said. In his appeal, Guterres cited new findings from the World Meterological Organization (WMO) confirming that the past five years have been the hottest ever recorded. “The last time there was a comparable concentration, the temperature was 2 to 3 degrees Celsius warmer, and sea levels were 10 to 20 meters higher than today,” Guterres said. “The most vulnerable atoll nations like my country already face death row” due to rising seas and devastating storm surges, she said.

Source: Taipei Times December 02, 2019 16:04 UTC