"Moment to act for our environment, future": Guterres urges global action on World Environment Day

Geneva [Switzerland], June 5 : UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged collective global action as the world marks Environment Day.
In a speech shared on his X account, Guterres highlighted how this World Environment Day warning signals are everywhere about the damage being caused to the environment.
"The past 11 years have been the 11 hottest on record. And the damage goes far beyond rising temperatures, from polluted air to degraded land, collapsing ecosystems and vanishing biodiversity, harming health, destroying homes and deepening hunger. The world is heading for a temporary overshoot above 1.5 degrees. Every fraction of a degree brings greater harm, especially to the most vulnerable," he said.
He said that the goal must be to bring down the overshoot and temperatures back down via actions such as slashing emissions, accelerating a just transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewables--which would result in lowering costs and securing real energy security.
Other suggestions he listed included cutting methane, protecting forests, land and seas and helping communities adapt to the devastating impacts already here.
"It means fulfilling climate finance promises to developing countries to save lives, protect livelihoods and strengthen economies. This is the moment to act for our environment and for our future", Guterres said.
https://x.com/antonioguterres/status/2062716036080926862?s=20
June 5 marks World Environment Day, and the focus in 2026 is on climate change, as noted by the UNEP.
It highlighted how climate change is one of the urgent signals the Earth is sending and the signals we choose to send in response. It called on everyone to step in, go further, and help steer a world already in motion.
Earlier, Guterres urged countries to take urgent climate action to tackle worsening extreme weather risks ahead of El Nino.
Sharing a press statement issued by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Guterres said the climate phenomenon would intensify the impacts of global warming and increase the frequency of extreme weather events worldwide.
"The science is clear: El Nino is arriving on our doorstep in the coming months with 90 per cent certainty. The world must treat it as the urgent climate warning it is," Guterres said.
The WMO statement warned that above-average temperatures are expected across nearly all parts of the globe between June and August, increasing the risks of heat stress, the development of drought conditions and heavy rainfall in some areas.
Calling for immediate global action, the UN chief stressed that the only effective response was "ending the addiction to fossil fuels, accelerating the shift to renewables, protecting the most vulnerable, and delivering early warning systems for all."