Guterres warns of climate change danger in New Year’s message

  • Lusa
  • 30 December 2019

António Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), warned of the danger of climate and said that young people are the greatest source of hope.

The secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, on Monday warned of the danger of climate change in his New Year’s message and called for an active commitment from young people.

“Climate change is not only a long-term problem but a clear and present danger,” António Guterres said in the UN New Year’s message, which lasted about a minute and a half and was broadcast online.

“We cannot afford to be the generation that has ignored this reality and compromised the future of the planet,” the former Portuguese prime minister said.

Guterres added that young people are the greatest source of hope and the world needs their active commitment.

“Keep thinking big. Continue to overcome barriers. And continue to put pressure on,” he said, and that the new generation is at the forefront of the struggle for a better world.

In 2020, the UN turns 75 and, in this regard, will launch a Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals, the plan for fair globalisation, they said.