President says it would be a ‘dereliction of duty’ if world leaders do not act on climate change

President Michael D Higgins has said it would be a “dereliction of our duty of care to our shared planet” should world leaders fail to take action following UN secretary general António Guterres’ recent comments on climate change.

“The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived,” said Mr Guterres on Thursday. “The air is unbreathable. The heat is unbearable. And the level of fossil-fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable. Leaders must lead. No more hesitancy. No more excuses. No more waiting for others to move first. There is simply no more time for that.”

The secretary general was speaking in the context of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the European Commission’s Copernicus Climate Change Service’s release of data that confirms that July is set to be the hottest month ever recorded in human history.

Responding to the secretary general, Mr Higgins said that Mr Guterres’ statement was “a call that is different from all of his previous statements”.

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“He speaks of a crisis that he describes as of how ‘humanity has unleashed destruction’, of how ‘the evidence is everywhere’. It is time for us all, as leaders and global citizens, to assess as to how words are leading to actions, to increase the urgency of our response to what is an existential threat and to achieve change,” said Mr Higgins.

“It is clear, as the secretary general’s powerful statement shows, that we need to begin the work of reform in our international institutional architecture, such as UN reform at the highest level, including the security council, to achieve what the secretary general has suggested is the challenge to ‘turn a year of burning heat into a year of burning ambition’.”

Mr Higgins also highlighted the threat of climate change to the world’s food supply. “The secretary general’s pleas in relation to the consequences of climate change are mirrored in the threat of hunger, which is directly affected by the impact of climate change.

“For example, figures published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations show that 26.2 per cent of Africa’s population experienced severe food insecurity in 2021, with 9.8 per cent of the total global population suffering from undernourishment the same year.

“All of the global issues which we are facing are interconnected, as has been recognised and is reflected in the Irish Government’s work seeking to have the impact of climate change as a threat to international peace and security recognised at UN level.”