People are as dangerous to the planet as the meteorite that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs, said the United Nations (UN) chief on Wednesday, as scientists announced that the last 12 months have been the hottest on record.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a ban on advertising oil, gas, and coal – the main drivers of global warming – after global climate monitors released a series of new findings indicating that the planet is in trouble.
“In the case of the climate, we are not the dinosaurs. We are the meteor. We are not just in danger. We are the danger,” Guterres said.
Last month was the hottest May on record and the 12th consecutive month to set such a record, the European Union (EU) climate monitor Copernicus reported on Wednesday.
The global average temperature between June 2023 and May 2024 was “1.63 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average of 1850-1900,” Copernicus said, referring to the period before human-caused greenhouse gas emissions began warming the planet.
And 2023 was already the hottest year with 1.48 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, Copernicus noted, pointing to the natural weather phenomenon of El Nino for further temperature increases.
Although El Nino is fading, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced on Wednesday that there is now an 80 percent chance that global temperatures will at least temporarily exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius over the next five years.
