UN Secretary-General urges political leaders to adopt ambitious plans for a green future
MADRID, Dec. 7 (.) –
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, warned on Tuesday that humanity has become a “mass extinction weapon”, criticizing that society is “treating nature like a toilet”.
“With our bottomless appetite for uneven and unchecked economic growth, humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction. We are treating nature like a toilet. And ultimately, we are killing ourselves by proxy,” he said. Guterres.
“Humanity seems bent on destruction. We are at war with nature,” lamented the Secretary General of the United Nations in his opening speech at the UN Conference on Biological Diversity, known as COP15, which is being held in Montreal , Canada.
Thus, Guterres has indicated that this summit has as an “urgent task” to make peace with nature. “This conference is our chance to stop this orgy of destruction: Moving from discord to harmony.”
At the same time, he has criticized deforestation, desertification; the use of plastics, pesticides and fuels; as well as mass consumption.
“Unsustainable production and consumption are skyrocketing emissions and degrading our land, sea and air,” he denounced, pointing to “multinational corporations that are filling their bank accounts while emptying our world of its natural gifts.”
Along these lines, the head of the UN has lamented that “ecosystems have become profit toys.” Meanwhile, he has estimated the annual losses due to the degradation of these ecosystems at three trillion dollars by the end of 2030.
To this end, it has recommended three concrete actions: ambitious and transversal national action plans, subsidy programs for ecological solutions, and projects for the recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
