Last six years were hottest on record — UN Secretary-General

NEW YORK, February 20. /TASS/. Climate change is gaining momentum, with the past six years being the hottest on record, but the US return to the Paris Agreement gives grounds for hope that its emission reduction goals will be met, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. "The six years since 2015 have been the six hottest years on record. Carbon dioxide levels are at record highs. Fires, floods and other extreme weather events are getting worse, in every region. If we don’t change course, we could face a catastrophic temperature rise of more than 3 degrees this century," the UN chief told to event marking the United States rejoining the Paris Agreement. Guterres once again welcomed the US return to the Paris Agreement, expressing hope that US President Joe Biden would fulfill his promise and formally confirm the zero-emission goal for the US by 2050. "Today, as we mark the United States re-entry into this treaty, we also recognize its restoration, in its entirety, as its creators intended," he said. Earlier, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry in his speech reaffirmed the US intention to broaden the coalition of countries that undertook greenhouse gas emission commitments. "We rejoin the international climate effort with humility and with ambition" Kerry said. "Humility knowing that we lost four years during which America was absent from the table, and humility in knowing that today, no country and no continent is getting the job done. But also with ambition, knowing that Paris alone will not do what science tells us we must do together". The Paris Agreement was concluded on December 12, 2015 following the 21st conference of the framework convention on climate change. The participating countries agreed to prevent a rise of the average temperature on the globe by 2100 by more than two degrees Celsius in contrast to the pre-industrial era. The agreement envisages voluntary obligations by countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Several hours after inauguration Biden signed a number of executive orders to cancel a number of highly controversial decisions made by his predecessor Donald Trump. The United States is returning to the World Health Organization and the Paris Agreement on climate. Also, he terminated the state of emergency on the US-Mexican border and the federal financing of a project to build fortifications on the border with Mexico. Read more