United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a stark warning to world leaders at the COP29 summit in Baku on Tuesday, calling on wealthy nations to “pay up” to avert catastrophic climate-driven disasters.
Guterres stressed that time is running out to curb a dangerous rise in global temperatures, which threatens to unleash unprecedented humanitarian crises.
Representatives from nearly 200 countries have convened at the annual U.N. climate summit, with this year’s focus on securing hundreds of billions of dollars to support a global shift to cleaner energy and mitigate damage from carbon emissions. However, the absence of key leaders added challenges to Guterres’ urgent message.
Following the recent U.S. election victory of Donald Trump—a known skeptic of climate action—President Joe Biden opted not to attend. Chinese President Xi Jinping also sent a deputy in his place, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen canceled her appearance due to political developments in Brussels.
The summit’s marathon negotiations are expected to confront tough questions about funding, equity, and commitments to greenhouse gas reduction targets, as nations work to build momentum toward a more climate-resilient future.
