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Global Warming Speech: 1, 2, 3-5 Minute Speech

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  • Updated on  
  • Feb 3, 2024

global warming speech

Global warming refers to the long-term rise in Earth’s average surface temperature. Since the 18th-century Industrial Revolution in European Countries, global annual temperature has increased in total by a little more than 1 degree Celsius. Global Warming is one of the most concerning issues facing us, as it threatens the existence of life on Earth. Greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, industrial processes, waste management, etc are all reasons for global warming.

Did you know: Antarctica is losing ice mass at an average rate of about 150 billion tons per year, and Greenland is losing about 270 billion tons per year, adding to sea level rise?

Today, weather prediction has been becoming more complex with every passing year, with seasons more indistinguishable, and the general temperatures hotter. The number of natural disasters like hurricanes, cyclones, droughts, floods, etc., has risen steadily since the onset of the 21st century. The supervillain behind all these changes is Global Warming. The name is quite self-explanatory; it means the rise in the temperature of the Earth. Since childhood, we all have heard about it, but just as a formality, let us first understand what global warming is!

Quick Read: 2-Minute Speech on Holi

This Blog Includes:

Short global warming speech 100-150 words (1 minute), global warming speech 250 words (2 minutes), global warming speech 500- 700 words (3- 5 minutes), 10-line global warming speech, causes of global warming, ways to tackle global warming.

It means a rise in global temperature due to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities and inventions. In scientific words, Global Warming is when the earth heats (the temperature rises). It occurs when the earth’s atmosphere warms up as a result of the sun’s heat and light being trapped by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapour, nitrous oxide, and methane. Many people, animals, and plants are harmed by this. Many people die because they can’t handle the shift.

global warming speech

Good morning to everyone present here today I am going to present a speech on global warming. Global Warming is caused by the increase of carbon dioxide levels in the earth’s atmosphere and is a result of human activities that have been causing harm to our environment for the past few centuries now. Global Warming is something that can’t be ignored and steps have to be taken to tackle the situation globally. The average temperature is constantly rising by 1.5 degrees Celsius for the last few years. The best method to prevent future damage to the earth, cutting down more forests should be banned and Afforestation should be encouraged. Start by planting trees near your homes and offices, participate in events, and teach the importance of planting trees. It is impossible to undo the damage but it is possible to stop further harm.

Good morning everyone and topic of my speech today is global warming. Over a long period, it is observed that the Earth’s temperature is rising rapidly. This affected the wildlife, animals, humans, and every living organism on earth. Glaciers have been melting, and many countries have started water shortages, flooding, erosion and all this is because of global warming. No one can be blamed for global warming except for humans. Human activities such as gases released from power plants, transportation, and deforestation have resulted in the increase of gases such as carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants in the earth’s atmosphere. The main question is how can we control the current situation and build a better world for future generations. It starts with little steps by every individual. Start using cloth bags made from sustainable materials for all shopping purposes, instead of using the high-watt lights use the energy-efficient bulbs, switch off the electricity, don’t waste water, abolish deforestation and encourage planting more trees. Shift the use of energy from petroleum or other fossil fuels to wind and solar energy. Instead of throwing out the old clothes donate them to someone so that it is recycled. Donate old books, don’t waste paper.  Above all, spread awareness about global warming. Every little thing a person does towards saving the earth will contribute in big or small amounts. We must learn that 1% effort is better than no effort. Pledge to take care of Mother Nature and speak up about global warming. 

Also Read: How To Become an Environmentalist?

Also Read: Essay on Global Warming

Global warming isn’t a prediction, it is happening! A person denying it or unaware of it is in the most simple terms complicit. Do we have another planet to live on? Unfortunately, we have been bestowed with this one planet only that can sustain life yet over the years we have turned a blind eye to the plight it is in. Global warming is not an abstract concept but a global phenomenon occurring ever so slowly even at this moment. Global Warming is a phenomenon that is occurring every minute resulting in a gradual increase in the Earth’s overall climate. Brought about by greenhouse gases that trap the solar radiation in the atmosphere, global warming can change the entire map of the earth, displacing areas, flooding many countries and destroying multiple lifeforms. Extreme weather is a direct consequence of global warming but it is not an exhaustive consequence. There are virtually limitless effects of global warming which are all harmful to life on earth. The sea level is increasing by 0.12 inches per year worldwide. This is happening because of the melting of polar ice caps because of global warming. This has increased the frequency of floods in many lowland areas and has caused damage to coral reefs. The Arctic is one of the worst-hit areas affected by global warming. Air quality has been adversely affected and the acidity of the seawater has also increased causing severe damage to marine life forms. Severe natural disasters are brought about by global warming which has had dire effects on life and property. As long as mankind produces greenhouse gases, global warming will continue to accelerate. The consequences are felt at a much smaller scale which will increase to become drastic shortly. The power to save the day lies in the hands of humans, the need is to seize the day. Energy consumption should be reduced on an individual basis. Fuel-efficient cars and other electronics should be encouraged to reduce the wastage of energy sources. This will also improve air quality and reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Global warming is an evil which can only be defeated when fought together. It is better late than never. If we take steps today, we will have a much brighter future tomorrow. Global warming is the bane of our existence and various policies have come up worldwide to fight it but that is not enough. The actual difference is made when we work at an individual level to fight it. Understanding its importance now is crucial before it becomes an irrevocable mistake. Exterminating global warming is of utmost importance and everyone is as responsible for it as the next.  

Students in grades 1-3 can benefit from this kind of speech since it gives them a clear understanding of the issue in an accessible manner.

  • Although global warming is not a new occurrence and has been a worry since before civilization, the danger is only getting worse over time.
  • The average global temperature is rising as a result of pollution and damage to the natural systems that control the climate, including the air, water, and land.
  • Population growth and people’s desire to live comfortably are the main causes of pollution.
  • The primary sources include carbon emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels, factories, cars, trains, and other transportation, as well as from the coal industry.
  • When these dangerous pollutants are discharged into the atmosphere, protective layers like ozone begin to erode, allowing dangerous solar rays to enter the atmosphere and causing a temperature rise.
  • Because of the disastrous consequences of global warming, the threat has increased.
  • This causes unnatural effects like the melting of glaciers, the rise in sea level, hurricanes, droughts, and floods, which alters the climate and upsets everything.
  • Changes in rainfall patterns have only made agricultural lands and hence the vegetation worse.
  • Using renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind, for power and other requirements can help us slow down the effects of climate change.
  • To protect the environment and our natural resources, we must begin living sustainably.

global warming speech

Various factors lead to global warming. These days people have become so careless and selfish that they mainly focus on their growth and development. They tend to ignore nature’s need for love and care. Enlisted are the various causes of Global Warming:

  • Industrial Activities : Industrial Activities lead to the vast usage of fossil fuels for the production of energy. These fossil fuels release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which leads to global warming. This energy is used for heat and electricity, transportation, industrial activities, agriculture, oil and gas production, etc.
  • Agricultural Activities : The activity which provides every living thing with food is the one that leads to climate change, i.e., global warming. Agricultural activities use harmful commercial fertilizers that reap nitrous oxide, the most potent greenhouse gas. Methane is the other potent greenhouse gas that comes from the decomposition of waste, burning biomass, digestive systems of livestock, and numerous natural sources.
  • Oil Drilling : Residuals from oil drilling release carbon dioxide. The processing of these fossil fuels and their distribution leads to methane production, a harmful greenhouse gas.
  • Garbage : A recent study shows that 18 per cent of methane gas comes from wastage and its treatment. This methane gas leads to harmful conditions, i.e., global warming.

Also Read: Essay on Sustainable Development: Format & Examples

global warming speech

  • Afforestation : Every individual should take up an oath to plant at least five trees a year. This will lead to an increase in the number of trees, ultimately reducing the overall temperature.
  • Reduce, Reuse and Recycle : We should focus on reducing the use of fossil fuels and other products, which lead to the production of harmful gases. Reusing means repetitive use of a single product. We must focus on reusing products to omit the disposing procedure, which leads to the production of harmful greenhouse gases. One must also focus on recycling paper, glass, newspaper, etc., which can reduce carbon dioxide production, ultimately reducing global warming.
  • Reduce Hot Water Use : We should reduce the unnecessary use of hot water that leads to the production of carbon dioxide. A recent study shows that high hot water usage leads to an approximate output of 350 pounds of carbon dioxide.
  • Buy Better Bulbs : It’s observed that traditional bulbs consume more energy as compared to LED bulbs. LED bulbs approximately conserve 80 per cent of the energy that might get wasted using traditional ones. So, one must shift to efficient and energy-conserving bulbs, which will ultimately help reduce global warming.

Also Read: Environmental Conservation

The three main causes of global warming are – burning fossil fuels, deforestation and agricultural activities.

Some of the ways through which we can stop global warming are – driving less, recycling more, planting trees, replacing regular bulbs with CFL ones, avoiding products with a lot of packaging, etc.

Climate change affects human health as it depletes the water and air quality, leads to extreme weather, increases the pace at which certain diseases spread, etc.

Mother Earth is facing the consequences of our careless actions. It is high time now that we act and protect the environment. A few decades ago, afforestation, using renewable sources, etc., was just an option, but today, these have become a necessity. If we do not change and move towards a more sustainable growth model, this planet that we all share will be significantly affected, and life, as we know it today, may perish. Let’s take a pledge to conserve and restore the beauty of our planet Earth. For more such informative content, follow Leverage Edu !

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Sonal is a creative, enthusiastic writer and editor who has worked extensively for the Study Abroad domain. She splits her time between shooting fun insta reels and learning new tools for content marketing. If she is missing from her desk, you can find her with a group of people cracking silly jokes or petting neighbourhood dogs.

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Global Warming Speech for Students and Children

3 minutes speech on global warming.

Global Warming is definitely the single greatest environmental challenge that the planet earth is facing at present. It is essential to understand the gravity of the situation. The fuel which you use in order to power your homes, cars, businesses and more is heating up the planet faster than expected. We are recording the hottest days and decades ever. What’s alarming is that the temperature of the earth has climbed to the highest point it has ever been in the past 12,000 years. It only gets worse from here if we don’t stop it now.

global warming speech

Impact of Global Warming

As the planet is getting hotter, we need to collectively act right now instead of waiting for more. The primary cause of global warming is fossil fuels. Human beings are addicted to burning them which produces coal, oil, greenhouse gases and more.

The power plants, cards, and industries produce Carbon dioxide which stays in the atmosphere for 5 decades or more. This is the reason why the temperature of the earth rises.

Due to this rise in temperature, the oceans are rising and the coral reefs are dying. Many aquatic species are going extinct while the glaciers are melting. You will be surprised to know that Greenland is losing 20% more mass than it receives from new snowfall.

Thus, it will keep shrinking as the earth warms. Moreover, extreme weather patterns are for everyone to see. The heatwaves, droughts, floods, are now taking place with greater intensity and frequency.

The hurricanes are doubling up in nature in terms of occurrence and the Katrina Hurricane is enough to prove this point. Further, the Greenland and Western Antarctic ice sheets are at great risk of melting completely. Please note that these two ice sheets presently hold around 20% of the Earth’s freshwater. The rise in sea levels will damage the coastal areas globally. Moreover, the regularity of hurricanes, tornadoes, and others may become more volatile spreading malaria and other deadly diseases.

Get the Huge list of 100+ Speech Topics here

Ways to Tackle Global Warming

The time is now to do something to prevent global warming, otherwise, it will be irreversible. Electricity and transportation contribute largely to global warming, so we must begin there. It is important to note that there is no silver bullet and we must all come together to tackle global warming as a whole. Every home, business, industry, individual effort is required to tackle this crisis.

As coal produces tons of Carbon dioxide annually, we need to find ways to clean up coal. We can also tackle global warming by beginning with putting agriculture in the system. We must encourage farmers to adapt to greener farming practices. For instance, they must till land less often, and plant trees on vacant land.

Moreover, the same regime needs to be applied to other industrial producers of carbon dioxide. For instance, the transportation industry of cars, trucks, planes and more produce 28% of the carbon dioxide emissions. Thus, we must reduce these emissions by enhancing the fuel efficiency of the vehicles. Also, it is high time we got rid of oil and gasoline-based fuels and opt for greener alternatives.

On an individual level also, we must work to adopt a greener and healthier lifestyle. Try to drive less and walk more or take public transport. Get into the habit of recycling and avoid unnecessary wastage of goods. Save electricity by switching off appliances when not in use.  Most importantly, plant a tree as a single tree can absorb one ton of carbon dioxide in its lifetime. Thus, remember, the change begins with you.

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  • Climate Change Speech/Global Warming Speech

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Download Long and Short Climate Change Speech Essay in English Free PDF from Vedantu

Earth is the only planet which has variety in weather and climate crucial for survival.  But we humans are killing nature to fulfil our need and greed that causes global warming, eventually leading to climate change. Here, we have provided both long and short Climate Change speech or Global Warming speech along with 10 lines for a brief speech on Global Warming. Students can refer to this article whenever they are supposed to write a speech on Global Warming. 

Long Global Warming Speech

Global Warming refers to the Earth's warming, i.e. rise in the Earth's surface temperature. A variety of human activities, such as industrial pollution and the burning of fossil fuels, are responsible for this temperature rise. These operations emit gases that cause the greenhouse effect and, subsequently, global warming. Climate change, starvation, droughts, depletion of biodiversity, etc. are some of the most important consequences of global warming.

The average surface temperature of the planet has risen by around 0.8 ° Celsius since 1880. The rate of warming per decade has been around 0.15 °-0.2 ° Celsius. This is a worldwide shift in the temperature of the planet and should not be confused with the local changes we witness every day, day and night, summer and winter, etc.

There can be several causes for Global Warming, the GreenHouse Effect is believed to be the primary and major cause. This impact is caused primarily by gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, chlorofluorocarbon, nitrous oxides, etc. In the atmosphere around the Earth, these gases form a cover from which the Sun's hot rays can penetrate the Earth but can not leave. So, in the lower circle of the Earth, the heat of the Sun persists, allowing the temperature to increase.

This is not something new, it is not something we weren’t aware of before. Since childhood, each one of us present here has been made to write a speech on Global Warming in their school/college, at least once. We have been made aware of the disastrous effects through movies, articles, competitions, posters, etc. But what have we done? Recently, the Greta Thunberg's Climate Change speech was making headlines. Greta Thunberg is a 16-year-old teenager who got the chance to speak at the United Nations Climate Action Summit. Although, most of us were quick to term Greta Thunberg Climate Change speech as ‘Scathing’ but very few could point out the need for such a brutal reminder. Remember? “We have been made to write a speech on Global Warming since our school days and nothing changed”. Maybe a searing reminder would bring a change and yes, it sure did.

Now, we have the titanic fame, Leonardo DiCaprio, speaking up about climate change in his Oscar speech as well as at the UN. However, Leonardo Dicaprio's Climate Change speech makes us aware of the fact that this has grown beyond individual choices. If we have to fight climate change, industries and corporations have to take decisive large-scale action.

I would like to end my speech by saying that only spreading awareness isn't the answer. It's time to act, as actions yield results.

Short Speech on Global Warming

Today, I am here to deliver a short speech on Global Warming. We all are well aware of Global Warming and how it results in Climate Change. Owing to global warming, there have been cases of severe drought. Regions, where there used to be a lot of rainfall, are seeing less rainfall. The monsoon trend has shifted around the globe. Global warming also causes ice to melt and the level of the ocean to rise, resulting in floods.

Various species are also widely impacted by global warming. Some land organisms are very vulnerable to changes in temperature and environment and can not tolerate extreme conditions. Koalas, for example, are at risk of famine because of climate change. Several fish and tortoise species are susceptible to changes in ocean temperatures and die.

One of the biggest threats to global security is climate change. Climate change knows no borders and poses us all with an existential threat. A significant security consequence of climate change is a rise in the frequency of severe weather events, especially floods and storms. This has an effect on city and town facilities, access to drinking water, and other services to sustain everyday life. It also displaces the population and since 2008, disasters caused by natural hazards have displaced an average of 26.4 million people annually from their homes. 85% of these are weather-related. This is equal to every second of approximately one person displaced.

It is important that we finally stop debating about it. Schools need to stop making students write a speech on Global Warming or Climate Change and focus on making them capable of living a sustainable life. Face it with courage and honesty. 

10 Lines for Brief Speech on Global Warming

Here, we have provided 10 key pointers for Climate Change Speech for Students.

Global warming refers to the above-average temperature increase on Earth.

The primary cause of global warming is the Greenhouse effect.

Climate change is blamed for global warming, as it badly affects the environment.

The most critical and very important issue that no one can overlook is climate change; it is also spreading its leg in India.

India's average temperature has risen to 1.1 degrees Celsius in recent years.

Living creatures come out of their natural environment due to global warming, and eventually become extinct.

Climate change has contributed to weather pattern disruptions across the globe and has led to unusual shifts in the monsoon.

Human actions, apart from natural forces, have also led to this transition. Global warming leads to drastic climate change, leading to flooding, droughts and other climate catastrophes.

The pattern of monsoon winds is influenced by changes in global temperature and alters the time and intensity of rain. Unpredictable climate change impacts the nation's farming and production.

Planting more trees can be a positive step in eliminating the global warming problem.

What is Climate Change?

Climate change refers to alterations in Earth's climate, it has been happening since the planet was formed. The Climate is always changing. There are different factors that could contribute to Climate Change, including natural events and human activities.

Factors that cause Climate Change

The sun’s energy output

Volcanic eruptions

Earth’s orbit around the sun

Ocean currents

Land-use changes

Greenhouse gasses emissions from human activity

The most significant factor that contributes to Climate Change is greenhouse gasses emissions from human activity. These gasses form a “blanket” around Earth that traps energy from the sun. This trapped energy makes Earth warm and disturbs the Earth’s climate.

The Impact of Climate Change

Climate change is already happening. It is causing more extreme weather conditions, such as floods and droughts.

Climate change could lead to a loss of biodiversity, as plants and animals are unable to adapt to the changing climate.

Climate change could also cause humanitarian crises, as people are forced to migrate because of extreme weather conditions.

Climate change could damage economies, as businesses and industries have to cope with increased energy costs and disrupted supply chains.

Here are some Tips on How to write a Speech on Climate Change:

Start by doing your research. Climate change is a complex topic, and there's a lot of information out there on it. Make sure you understand the basics of climate change before you start writing your speech.

Write down what you want to say. It can be helpful to draft an outline of your speech before you start writing it in full. This will help ensure that your points are clear and organized.

Be passionate about the topic. Climate change is a serious issue, but that doesn't mean you can't talk about it with passion and enthusiasm. Let your audience know how important you think this issue is.

Make it personal. Climate change isn't just a political or scientific issue - it's something that affects each and every one of us. Talk about how climate change has affected you or your loved ones, and let your audience know why this issue matters to you.

Use visuals to help explain your points. A good speech on climate change can be filled with charts, graphs, and statistics. But don't forget to also use powerful images and stories to help illustrate your points.

Stay positive. Climate change can be a depressing topic, but try not to end your speech on a negative note. Instead, talk about the steps we can take to address climate change and the positive outcomes that could come from it.

Start by defining what climate change is. Climate change is a problem that refers to a broad array of environmental degradation caused by human activities, including the emission of greenhouse gasses.

Talk about the effects of climate change. Climate change has been linked to increased wildfires, more extreme weather events, coastal flooding, and reduced crop yields, among other things.

Offer solutions to climate change. Some solutions include reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, investing in renewable energy sources, and planting trees to help absorb carbon dioxide.

Appeal to your audience’s emotions. Climate change is a problem that affects everyone, and it’s important to get people emotionally invested in the issue.

Make sure your speech is well-organized and easy to follow. Climate change can be a complex topic, so make sure your speech is clear and concise.

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FAQs on Climate Change Speech/Global Warming Speech

1. What should be the main focus of my speech? Can I use statistics in my speech?

The main focus of your speech should be on the effects of climate change and the solutions we can enact to address it. However, you can also talk about your personal connection to the issue or how climate change has affected your community. Yes, you can use statistics to support your points, but don’t forget to also use images and stories to help illustrate your points.

2. How much should I talk about the potential solutions to climate change?

You should spend roughly equal time discussing both the effects of climate change and potential solutions. Climate change is a complex issue, and it’s important to provide your audience with both the facts and potential solutions.

3. Can I talk about how climate change has personally affected me in my speech?

Yes, you can talk about how climate change has personally affected you or your loved ones. Climate change is a serious issue that affects everyone, so it’s important to get people emotionally invested in the issue.

4. Are there any other things I should keep in mind while preparing my speech?

Yes, make sure your speech is well-organized and easy to follow. Climate change can be a complex topic, so make sure your speech is clear and concise. Also, remember to appeal to your audience’s emotions and stay positive. Climate change can be a depressing topic, but try not to end your speech on a negative note. Instead, talk about the steps we can take to address climate change and the positive outcomes that could come from it.

5. Where can I find more information about preparing a speech on climate change?

The best place to start is by reading some of the reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). You can also find helpful resources on the websites of Climate Reality Project or Greenpeace.

6. How long should my speech be?

Your speech should be between 5 and 7 minutes in length. Any longer than that, and your audience will start to lose interest. Climate change can be a complex issue, so it’s important to keep your points brief and concise. If you need help organizing your speech, consider using the following outline:

Define what climate change is;

Talk about the effects of climate change;

Offer solutions to climate change;

Appeal to your audience’s emotions.

7. How can I download reading material from Vedantu?

Accessing material from Vedantu is extremely easy and student-friendly. Students have to simply visit the website of  Vedantu and create an account. Once you have created the account you can simply explore the subjects and chapters that you are looking for. Click on the download button available on the website on Vedantu to download the reading material in PDF format. You can also access all the resources by downloading the Vedantu app from the play store.

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Transcript: Greta Thunberg's Speech At The U.N. Climate Action Summit

Climate activist Greta Thunberg, 16, addressed the U.N.'s Climate Action Summit in New York City on Monday. Here's the full transcript of Thunberg's speech, beginning with her response to a question about the message she has for world leaders.

"My message is that we'll be watching you.

"This is all wrong. I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!

"You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!

'This Is All Wrong,' Greta Thunberg Tells World Leaders At U.N. Climate Session

'This Is All Wrong,' Greta Thunberg Tells World Leaders At U.N. Climate Session

"For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you're doing enough, when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight.

"You say you hear us and that you understand the urgency. But no matter how sad and angry I am, I do not want to believe that. Because if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act, then you would be evil. And that I refuse to believe.

"The popular idea of cutting our emissions in half in 10 years only gives us a 50% chance of staying below 1.5 degrees [Celsius], and the risk of setting off irreversible chain reactions beyond human control.

"Fifty percent may be acceptable to you. But those numbers do not include tipping points, most feedback loops, additional warming hidden by toxic air pollution or the aspects of equity and climate justice. They also rely on my generation sucking hundreds of billions of tons of your CO2 out of the air with technologies that barely exist.

"So a 50% risk is simply not acceptable to us — we who have to live with the consequences.

"To have a 67% chance of staying below a 1.5 degrees global temperature rise – the best odds given by the [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] – the world had 420 gigatons of CO2 left to emit back on Jan. 1st, 2018. Today that figure is already down to less than 350 gigatons.

"How dare you pretend that this can be solved with just 'business as usual' and some technical solutions? With today's emissions levels, that remaining CO2 budget will be entirely gone within less than 8 1/2 years.

"There will not be any solutions or plans presented in line with these figures here today, because these numbers are too uncomfortable. And you are still not mature enough to tell it like it is.

"You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.

"We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up. And change is coming, whether you like it or not.

"Thank you."

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What’s something that, as a climate-conscious individual, I may not already be doing that I should be (or shouldn’t be doing that I am doing)?

— Moe L. via Twitter

You’re probably not talking about it much. If my guess is correct — that is, you’re not having many conversations about climate change with friends, family, neighbors, and others in your community — my colleague Jennifer Marlon and I hope you’ll consider speaking up more often in the future.

To help you get started, she and I developed a strategy for talking about climate change in a way that will deepen your relationship with the people you care about.

Why it’s important to talk about climate change

But first, why do we want you to talk about it? We talk about what we care about.

What you choose to discuss with your friends and family helps them understand what is important to your community. “Talk” is the fertile field in which cultural change begins; in its absence, it’s impossible for a group of people to solve a problem.

And your words can have more of an effect than you might think.

A few months ago, I heard Marlon talking about “electrifying everything” — the idea that appliances and vehicles that run on fossil fuels ought to be replaced with their electric-powered counterparts, which have the capacity to run on low-carbon electricity.

Around the same time, a natural-gas-fueled HVAC unit died at my house. I decided to replace it with an all-electric heat pump , even though salesmen from two different HVAC companies tried to talk me out of it.

I’m not an HVAC expert, so it was unnerving to listen to sales reps steering me away from making the climate-friendly choice. But I also knew that a respected person in my professional community, Marlon, wouldn’t think getting a heat pump was weird. That helped me to muster my courage, ignore the salesmen, and insist on the heat pump. In other words, a casual conversation helped me to make a decision that will prevent the release of tens of thousands of pounds of carbon pollution during the next 10 years.

Researchers have documented similar social influences on other consumer choices. When our peers purchase hybrid vehicles or put solar panels on their roofs , we become more likely to follow suit.

So talk is powerful — but when it comes to climate change, a surprising number of people aren’t speaking up.

Obstacles to starting conversations about climate change

More Americans than ever are alarmed about climate change , but those of us who are worrying about the problem tend to do so quietly. In fact, two in three Americans say they “rarely” or “never” discuss global warming with friends and family, according to a nationally representative survey conducted in March 2021.

Why don’t more people talk about it? At least a couple of reasons: Global warming is a huge bummer, so maybe it doesn’t feel right to bring it up at mom’s birthday dinner or your best friend’s baby shower.

Many people are also concerned that bringing up the topic will trigger ridicule or even hostility from a person who denies the reality of climate change. Few people would prefer hearing an explosive, fact-free Thanksgiving Day rant from Uncle Rude when they could just enjoy their turkey and mashed potatoes in peace.

But if those of us who care about this issue aren’t willing to risk raising the subject, how do we expect things to change? The good news is, more Americans than you might think are coming around to the reality of climate change. As the chart below shows, when survey respondents are asked to guess the percentage of Americans who believe global warming is happening, they usually underestimate the true number.

The reality: 76% of American adults (93% of Democrats, 58% of Republicans, and 74% of Independents) believe that global warming is happening. That means you’re likely to find plenty of people in your community who are willing to participate in friendly conversations about the problem.

How many adults think global warming is happening

Tips for starting conversations about climate change

Getting started doesn’t have to be awkward. Think about the people in your life who are most likely to care about the problem. For this exercise, your goal is to identify other people who are concerned about global warming — not to argue with those who deny the reality of climate change. You won’t need to prepare a speech or memorize a bunch of facts about climate science.

Instead, think of the conversations as information-gathering missions, with carefully listening as your most important task. You’ll be asking your friends and family questions, probing them for advice and insights from their own experiences, something most people love talking about.

To prepare for those conversations, spend time thinking about what you would most like to learn about from those around you. Grab a piece of paper and draw lines to divide it into three columns.

In the first column, write down any actions you’ve already taken (or are in the process of taking) to conserve energy and resources, pollute less, or contribute to policy change. The items can be anything big or small: switching to LED lightbulbs, helping your kids connect with nature, contacting an elected representative about climate change, and so on.

In the second column, write down actions you haven’t taken yet but would be willing to do. Maybe you’ve been wanting to eat more plant-based meals or volunteer with an environmental group but haven’t yet changed your shopping habits or found the right group. Here’s a great list of other pro-climate actions you could consider.

Finally, use the third column to write down anything you’re not willing to do. Maybe you travel a lot for work and have no way to avoid it. That’s OK. Sometimes the system has to change before individuals can access sustainable options.

Jennifer Marlon chart

Now review your columns. Congratulate yourself on any items you’ve listed in column one. Then turn to column two. The items on this list are the fodder for your conversations with your friends and family.

For example, if you’ve been wanting to add more meatless meals to your diet, you can ask your friends who are great cooks for their favorite meat-free dishes. Or if you’re voting in an election, you might ask your friends if they want to go with you and make it a social event.

In this way, you will be building a network of trusted people who you can turn to for support and answers.

As people in your network are offering advice, make sure to listen first. Eventually, you’ll likely have an opportunity to explain why you’re interested in eating less meat, voting more regularly, or the like. When the moment is right, you might find them turning back to you when they find themselves in a similar position. And engaging in these conversations will help set a norm in your social group that it’s worth doing something about the climate.

As you get more comfortable talking about climate change, you can also revisit the list in column three. Do you see anything that you’d consider moving to column two if you had support from someone else? For example, you might feel intimidated by the idea of calling an elected official to express your views on climate change. But what if your politically minded children filled you in on their experiences making those calls and offered you some tips? Would that change anything?

After you’ve taken action, talk about it. You thought your friend’s veggie taco recipe was delicious, so tell her. You and your friends voted for the mayoral candidate who supports public transit — and she actually won. Brag about it. You installed an all-electric heat pump? Show it off to everyone who visits your home. And then keep asking questions — and talking. By itself, talk won’t save the climate. But it’s a good place to start.

 — Sara and Jenn

P.S. Thanks to our colleagues at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication who participated in a brainstorm that informed this column.

Jennifer R. Marlon, Ph.D., is a research scientist at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, publisher of this site and one of the organizations that led the surveys cited above.

Tom Toro  is a cartoonist and writer who has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010.

Got a question about climate change? Send it to  [email protected] . Questions may be edited for length and clarity.

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Speech on Climate Change

Climate change is a phenomenon that refers to the warming of the planet and the associated shifts in global climate patterns. It is caused by the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere, which trap heat from the sun and cause the planet's surface temperature to rise.

  • 10 Lines on Climate Change

Climate change refers to the long-term warming of the planet and changes in the Earth's climate.

It is caused by the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which trap heat from the sun and cause the planet to warm up.

The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, is the primary source of these greenhouse gases.

Deforestation and other land use changes also contribute to their levels in the atmosphere.

The consequences of climate change are wide-ranging and include rising sea levels, more frequent and severe weather events, and changes in precipitation patterns.

Climate change has the potential to affect every aspect of our lives, including our health, our economy, and our natural environment.

It is a global problem that requires urgent action from governments, businesses, and individuals around the world.

Some of the actions that can be taken to address climate change include reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving energy and water, and protecting and restoring forests and other natural habitats.

Governments can also implement policies to promote these actions and support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

By taking these steps, we can help to reduce the impacts of climate change and create a more sustainable future for ourselves and future generations.

Short speech on climate change

Long speech on climate change.

Speech on Climate Change

The main cause of climate change is the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, trap heat from the sun and cause the Earth's surface to warm up. The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, is the main source of these greenhouse gases. Deforestation and other land use changes also contribute to their levels in the atmosphere. As the concentrations of these gases continue to increase, the Earth's climate will continue to change.

There is no single cure for climate change, as it is a global problem that requires action from governments, businesses, and individuals around the world. However, there are many actions that can be taken to address the problem and reduce the impacts of climate change. Some of these actions include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by using clean energy sources, such as solar and wind power, conserving energy and water, and protecting and restoring forests and other natural habitats. Governments can also implement policies to promote these actions and support the transition to a low-carbon economy. By taking these steps, we can help to reduce the effects of climate change and create a more sustainable future.

Climate change is a global phenomenon that refers to the long-term warming of the planet and the changes in the Earth's climate.

Climate change and global warming

Climate change and global warming are often used interchangeably, but they are not exactly the same thing. Global warming refers specifically to the long-term warming of the planet, which is caused by the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Climate change, on the other hand, is a broader term that refers to the overall changes in the Earth's climate, including not only warming but also changes in precipitation patterns, sea levels, and other aspects of the climate system. So, while global warming is one aspect of climate change, it is not the only aspect.

Causes of climate change

The main cause of climate change is the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Deforestation and other land use changes also contribute to their levels in the atmosphere. The production of cement, which is a major component of concrete, also releases significant amounts of greenhouse gases. Agricultural activities, such as the production of livestock and rice cultivation, also release greenhouse gases. Landfills and waste incineration also contribute to the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The use of certain industrial processes, such as the production of refrigerants and other chemicals, also releases greenhouse gases. Transportation, such as the use of cars and aeroplanes, also produces greenhouse gases.

Consequences of climate change

The consequences of climate change are wide-ranging and complex, and they have the potential to affect every aspect of our lives. Some of the impacts of climate change are:

Rising sea levels can lead to coastal flooding and the displacement of coastal communities.

More frequent and severe weather events, such as heatwaves, droughts, and hurricanes.

Changes in precipitation patterns can affect the availability of water for drinking and irrigation.

The risk of wildfires has also increased.

Infrastructural damage

Loss of biodiversity, as plants and animals, struggle to adapt to changing conditions.

Negative impacts on human health, such as the spread of diseases and the increased likelihood of heat-related illnesses.

Solutions for climate change

There are many actions that can be taken to address the problem and reduce the impacts of climate change. Some of these actions include—

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by using clean energy sources, such as solar and wind power.

Protecting and restoring forests and other natural habitats, which can help to absorb greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

Developing technologies to capture and store carbon dioxides, such as carbon capture and storage systems.

Promoting sustainable agriculture and forestry practices, which can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Supporting research and development into clean energy technologies and other solutions to climate change.

Encouraging individual action, such as reducing personal energy use and supporting organisations that are working to combat climate change.

Governments can implement policies to promote these actions and support the transition to a low-carbon economy.

International cooperation and collaboration are also essential, as climate change is a global problem that requires global solutions.

By taking these steps, we can help to reduce the effects of climate change and create a more sustainable future.

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UN Secretary-General landmark speech on climate action, 2 December, 2020

UN chief António Guterres had a dire warning message for the world at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday, urging humanity to end the war against nature which has seen a collapse in biodiversity, record global warming and ocean temperature rises, and a global pandemic.

But he also said there was plenty of room for hope that a new, sustainable world can emerge from the pandemic, and an international coaltion of nations commited to net neutrality, by 2050. Here's his concluding remarks as he makes climate action the UN's top priority for the 21st Century.

write speech on global warming

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Global Warming

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Read Greta Thunberg's full speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit

Teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg spoke at the United Nations on Monday about climate change, accusing world leaders of inaction and half-measures.

Here are her full remarks:

My message is that we'll be watching you.

This is all wrong. I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet, you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you!

You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words and yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!

For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you're doing enough when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight.

You say you hear us and that you understand the urgency, but no matter how sad and angry I am, I do not want to believe that. Because if you really understood the situation and still kept on failing to act then you would be evil and that I refuse to believe.

The popular idea of cutting our emissions in half in 10 years only gives us a 50 percent chance of staying below 1.5 degrees and the risk of setting off irreversible chain reactions beyond human control.

Fifty percent may be acceptable to you, but those numbers do not include tipping points, most feedback loops, additional warming hidden by toxic air pollution or the aspects of equity and climate justice.

They also rely on my generation sucking hundreds of billions of tons of your CO2 out of the air with technologies that barely exist.

So a 50 percent risk is simply not acceptable to us, we who have to live with the consequences.

How dare you pretend that this can be solved with just business as usual and some technical solutions? With today's emissions levels, that remaining CO2 budget will be entirely gone within less than eight and a half years.

There will not be any solutions or plans presented in line with these figures here today, because these numbers are too uncomfortable and you are still not mature enough to tell it like it is.

You are failing us, but the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you and if you choose to fail us, I say: We will never forgive you.

We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up and change is coming, whether you like it or not.

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Remarks by President   Biden at the Virtual Leaders Summit on Climate Opening   Session

8:07 A.M. EDT   THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Madam Vice President.   Good morning to all of our colleagues around the world — the world leaders who are taking part in this summit.  I thank you.  You know, your leadership on this issue is a statement to the people of your nation and to the people of every nation, especially our young people, that we’re ready to meet this moment.  And meeting this moment is about more than preserving our planet; it’s also about providing a better future for all of us.    That’s why, when people talk about climate, I think jobs.  Within our climate response lies an extraordinary engine of job creation and economic opportunity ready to be fired up.  That’s why I’ve proposed a huge investment in American infrastructure and American innovation to tap the economic opportunity that climate change presents our workers and our communities, especially those too often that have — left out and left behind.    I’d like to buil- — I want to build a — a critical infrastructure to produce and deploy clean technology — both those we can harness today and those that we’ll invent tomorrow.   I talked to the experts, and I see the potential for a more prosperous and equitable future.  The signs are unmistakable.  The science is undeniable.  But the cost of inaction is — keeps mounting.    The United States isn’t waiting.  We are resolving to take action — not only the — our federal government, but our cities and our states all across our country; small businesses, large businesses, large corporations; American workers in every field.    I see an opportunity to create millions of good-paying, middle-class, union jobs.    I see line workers laying thousands of miles of transmission lines for a clean, modern, resilient grid.    I see workers capping hundreds of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells that need to be cleaned up, and abandoned coalmines that need to be reclaimed, putting a stop to the methane leaks and protecting the health of our communities.    I see autoworkers building the next generation of electric vehicles, and electricians installing nationwide for 500,000 charging stations along our highways.    I see engine- — the engineers and the construction workers building new carbon capture and green hydrogen plants to forge cleaner steel and cement and produce clean power.    I see farmers deploying cutting-edge tools to make soil of our — of our Heartland the next frontier in carbon innovation.    By maintaining those investments and putting these people to work, the United States sets out on the road to cut greenhouse gases in half — in half by the end of this decade.  That’s where we’re headed as a nation, and that’s what we can do if we take action to build an economy that’s not only more prosperous, but healthier, fairer, and cleaner for the entire planet.    You know, these steps will set America on a path of net-zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.  But the truth is, America represents less than 15 percent of the world’s emissions.  No nation can solve this crisis on our own, as I know you all fully understand.  All of us, all of us — and particularly those of us who represent the world’s largest economies — we have to step up.    You know, those that do take action and make bold investments in their people and clean energy future will win the good jobs of tomorrow, and make their economies more resilient and more competitive.    So let’s run that race; win more — win more sustainable future than we have now; overcome the existential crisis of our times.  We know just how critically important that is because scientists tell us that this is the decisive decade.  This is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of a climate crisis.  We must try to keep the Earth’s temperature and — to an increase of — to 1.5 degrees Celsius.    You know, the world beyond 1.5 degrees means more frequent and intense fires, floods, droughts, heat waves, and hurricanes tearing through communities, ripping away lives and livelihoods, increasingly dire impacts to our public health.   It’s undeniable and undevi- — you know, the idea of accelerating and the reality that will come if we don’t move.  We can’t resign ourselves to that future.  We have to take action, all of us.    And this summit is our first step on the road we’ll travel together — God willing, all of us — to and through Glasgow this November and the U.N. Climate Conference — the Climate Change Conf- — Conference, you know, to set our world on a path to a secure, prosperous, and sustainable future.  The health of communities throughout the world depends on it.  The wellbeing of our workers depends on it.  The strength of our economies depends on it.    The countries that take decisive action now to create the industries of the future will be the ones that reap the economic benefits of the clean energy boom that’s coming.   You know, we’re here at this summit to discuss how each of us, each country, can set higher climate ambitions that will in turn create good-paying jobs, advance innovative technologies, and help vulnerable countries adapt to climate impacts.   We have to move.  We have to move quickly to meet these challenges.  The steps our countries take between now and Glasgow will set the world up for success to protect livelihoods around the world and keep global warming at a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius.  We must get on the path now in order to do that.    If we do, we’ll breathe easier, literally and figuratively; we’ll create good jobs here at home for millions of Americans; and lay a strong foundation for growth for the future.  And — and that — that can be your goal as well.  This is a moral imperative, an economic imperative, a moment of peril but also a moment of extraordinary possibilities.    Time is short, but I believe we can do this.  And I believe that we will do this.    Thank you for being part of the summit.  Thank you for the communities that you — and the commitments you have made, the communities you’re from.  God bless you all.    And I look forward to progress that we can make together today and beyond.  We really have no choice.  We have to get this done.   8:14 A.M. EDT

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write speech on global warming

  • Environment
  • Climate change and energy
  • Climate change adaptation

Speech - Climate change: too true to be good

Speech by Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency Royal Society of Arts, 24 September 2018

Climate change speech by Sir James Bevan at the RSA

Introduction

This speech takes twenty minutes, provided I don’t get heckled. But for those of you who are in a rush, here’s the short version of what I’m going to say:

  • Climate change is the biggest threat we face.
  • If we don’t tackle it the consequences are grim.
  • We can tackle it and we are. The three most important things we can do are to stop the activities that cause it; enhance our resilience to its effects; and talk about it.

Climate change is real

Say “climate change” and see how most people react. I find it’s a bit like “sustainable development”: a phrase at which many people quietly glaze over and switch off. So here’s the first point: Don’t switch off. Climate change isn’t just words. It is a real Thing. And man-made climate change is a very scary real thing.

The rise in global temperature over the last several decades is a matter of public record. There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that it can only be explained by one thing: the rise in greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities.

Some people say that climate change is natural and we shouldn’t worry. The answer to that is that we have indeed had naturally-occurring climate change since the Earth was formed. But none of the natural causes of climate variation, from the Sun’s output, the tilt of the Earth, volcanic activity or emissions from rotting vegetation, can account for the warming we observe today. There is only one thing that can: the emissions from fossil fuels caused by human activities over the last two hundred years. The concentrations of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere have increased by nearly 30% since the beginning of the industrial revolution.

It’s not as bad as you think – it’s worse

Here’s another inconvenient truth. Not only is global warming happening, it may be speeding up. The 20 warmest years on record have all come since 1995. The five warmest years have all been in this decade, the 2010s. 2016 was the hottest year since records began.

And this year the UK had the joint hottest summer on record. It was extremely dry too – the driest across England since 1921. The Environment Agency’s hydrologists recorded exceptionally low river flows for five weeks in a row, reservoir stocks were at historic lows and soils in the North West were the driest on record.

The environment suffered badly: numerous species, habitats, birds, trees and aquatic life were affected by the hot conditions and high demand for water. The Environment Agency responded to a 330% increase in drought-related incidents as our teams acted to protect wildlife and rescue fish struggling due to low river flows and low oxygen. This kind of thing won’t happen every year. But it will happen more frequently, and it will happen worse. Most of us enjoyed this summer’s exceptional weather. But by 2040 it is likely there won’t be anything exceptional about summers like the one we have just had. The records will keep tumbling. Exceptional may be the new normal.

And just as the rate of temperature rise looks to be accelerating, so too does one of its main consequences: the rise in sea level. Over the last 20 years sea levels have risen at roughly twice the speed of the preceding 80 years.

It gets worse. While the international community has pledged to avoid a rise of more than 2°C in the average global temperature by 2100 compared with pre-industrial levels, many scientists think that the figure will be higher. The central scientific estimate now is that by 2100 global temperature will have risen by nearly twice the 2 degree figure - by around 3.5 °C.

Climate change has bad consequences

Second big point, and one that bears constant repetition: if we don’t tackle climate change, very bad things will happen.

“Global warming” is another of those deceptive phrases. It doesn’t sound that threatening. Indeed to cold Brits shivering on our chilly northern island it sounds rather appealing. Who wouldn’t want a bit more sun and the weather a few degrees warmer? But the phrase is misleading because it doesn’t identify what will actually happen as the globe warms. The answer is that:

The tropics will be hotter and drier.

The higher latitudes, where the UK sits, will be hotter and wetter.

In Britain we will have hotter summers. By 2040, we expect more than half of our summers to exceed 2003 temperatures.

We will have wetter winters, and extreme rainfall events will become even more extreme. This is already happening. In 2015’s Storm Desmond, a gauge at Honister Pass in Cumbria recorded 341mm of rain in 24 hours, a new record: that rain caused some of the worst flooding in living memory. Last year’s flash floods at the Cornish coastal village of Coverack were caused by an extreme rainfall event which set a new UK record for 3-hour rainfall intensity. Half a mile offshore the rainfall intensity was 25% higher. It was only a fortuitous accident of nature that it didn’t make landfall.

Sea levels will rise significantly, perhaps by up to a metre in places by 2100, as waters warm and take up more space and our glaciers and land-based ice sheets melt. Sea level rise is particularly scary, because while other climate change-driven effects like extreme flooding or drought can do terrible harm, recovery from them is possible. But there is no recovery from a rising sea: it takes land, communities, infrastructure and everything else away forever.

All of these changes in climate will have consequences. They will mean:

More frequent and more extreme flooding and coastal erosion, caused by those wetter winters, heavier rain, stronger storms and rising sea levels. That threatens all of us, because floods destroy: lives, livelihoods, communities.

More water shortages and higher drought risk, caused by the hotter drier summers and less predictable rainfall. That could do deep damage to our economy and our environment.

More frequent and more extreme fires and wildfires, such as we saw in the UK and around the world this summer, often with terrible human cost.

More air and water pollution, due to those longer, hotter summers. That will threaten the living world of plants and animals, our wider environment and our own health.

More damage to wildlife and the habitat on which it depends. In many cases that damage may be existential. If we continue to emit greenhouse gases at the same rate as today, then by 2050 one million species across the globe are likely to vanish.

We in this country are particularly exposed to these effects. The UK sits at a weather crossroads, with a big water mass to the west, a large land mass to the south and the jet stream running over the top. Our location means we will experience more of this extreme weather than some others.

So don’t get comfortable. If we allow climate change to continue unchecked, England’s green and pleasant land will be neither green nor pleasant. And if sea levels rise significantly, there won’t be much of our land left either . Example: Lincolnshire. Much of that beautiful county is flat and low-lying. Quite a lot of it is a tidal floodplain. It is already at significant flood risk. 43 people lost their lives there in the great 1953 flood when a huge storm surge brought the sea crashing through the coastal defences. That’s why the Environment Agency has spent hundreds of millions of pounds improving and maintaining Lincolnshire’s sea walls and other coastal defences. And it’s worked: in 2013 there was a bigger East Coast storm surge than the one sixty years previously – and nobody died.

But as sea levels rise and the storms get fiercer, how much higher can we build the walls around our coasts? There’s a limit to what’s practical and affordable. And even if we build ever higher and stronger defences along the coastline, there’s another problem: our rivers.

Climate change means more rain is likely to fall more quickly into our rivers. So they will fill up quicker, and will flood the surrounding land unless they can rapidly discharge all that rainwater into the sea. But the higher tides and sea levels which climate change will also bring mean that precisely when we need our rivers to be better at discharging water to the sea, they will be less and less able to do so, because they will be increasingly tide-locked.

So we could have three nightmare future scenarios: one where high seas overwhelm our sea defences, a second where the rivers flood the land behind the defences, and a third – the worst of all – where both of these things happen together.

The result, if we fail to address these future risks, will be that many low lying parts of the country will be either permanently waterlogged, or flooded with such frequency as to be no longer habitable. In my Lincolnshire example, Skegness would be lost, Lincoln would be at the edge of a new wet fenland landscape, and much of the rest of the county would revert to marsh.

Am I exaggerating? No. I might even be underplaying the risk. A report from an international team of climate researchers which hit the headlines this summer warned of a “hothouse Earth” – the risk that without intervention we could cross a threshold leading to runaway climate change, with sea level rise up to 60m. That wouldn’t just make Lincolnshire and Britain history: it would make most of the Earth uninhabitable. That is why climate change is simply the biggest issue there is. It is the biggest threat out there to our economy, environment, health, way of life, our country, our world, and our future.

But disaster is not inevitable: we can tackle this problem

That’s enough bad news. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be like this. We can tackle this problem, if we act now. Because while some of the effects of climate change - temperatures increasing, sea levels rising, wetter winters, more violent weather – will continue for the next 30-40 years no matter what we do now, we can affect what happens after that.

We know what we need to do. It’s summed up by another two words that tend to make people switch off but which also really matter: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation means addressing the causes of climate change, by reducing or stopping the human activities which are affecting the climate system, for example by cutting our emissions of greenhouse gases. Most of the UK’s emissions come from the way we produce and consume energy – from heating our buildings, driving our cars, manufacturing goods, watching our TVs or boiling our kettles. We can lower our emissions by becoming more energy efficient and switching to renewable or low-carbon fuels.

As a country we’ve made a good start on that. UK emissions are down 43% compared to 1990, while over the same period the economy has grown significantly. That’s really important: it shows that we can both tackle climate change and grow our economy. But most of these emission reductions have come from closing coal power stations and cleaning up heavy industry. That was the easy bit. It’s a lot harder to reduce emissions from transport, agriculture and buildings. That will require much greater use of renewable energy, and infrastructure to capture and store remaining carbon emissions. The quicker we can move ahead on all that the better.

Adaptation means making changes to prepare for, reduce and negate the effects of climate change, for example by building stronger sea defences to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities. Other things we can and should be doing now include reducing water usage by cutting leakage and extending domestic metering; avoiding any unnecessary development in flood plains or on fast-eroding coastlines; and designing infrastructure that will be resilient to the more extreme weather we know is coming. There’s more good news. There is now a pretty broad consensus – at least in this country - on the need to do these things. The government gets it.

You can see that in the 25 Year Environment Plan launched this year by the Prime Minister and Michael Gove, which commits the government to take all possible action to mitigate climate change, including by continuing to cut greenhouse gas emissions; to adapt to reduce the impact of climate change; and to ensure that all government policies and investment decisions take it into account.

You can see that in the National Adaptation Programme issued by Defra in July, which sets out the actions the government will take over the next five years to help the country adapt to climate change; and which recognises that while we should continue to aim to keep global temperature rise well below 2° C, our resilience will only be robust if we prepare for worse scenarios.

And you can see it in the government’s new National Planning Policy Framework, which is explicit that all new development plans should “take a proactive approach to mitigating and adapting to climate change, taking into account the long-term implications for flood risk, coastal change, water supply, biodiversity and landscapes, and the risk of overheating from rising temperatures”.

The independent experts get it. The National Infrastructure Commission has recommended a national standard of flood protection for all communities to be achieved by 2050, a concept which the Environment Agency supports; and major investment to enhance water supply and reduce demand in order to tackle the long term drought risk which climate change threatens. We support that too.

The Green Finance Taskforce, composed of leading experts in academia, finance and civil society, has identified ways to encourage capital to move towards greener and cleaner sectors in the UK; and rightly framed this not as a cost but as a huge opportunity for investment, in particular in those sectors which are the backbone of the economy such as housing, transport, retail, utilities and industry.

Business increasingly gets it. The insurance companies are pricing climate change into their policies and looking to help their customers become more resilient to its effects, not least because that can cut insurance payouts when things like flooding happen. The water companies, energy companies, retail sector and others see the hard-nosed business sense in investing now for resilience later. All businesses need to be able to sustain their operations in a climate changed world, and to have confidence that when extreme weather hits, they will be the first back up and running.

The NGOs get it. Many of them, not just the environmental NGOs, are recognising that climate change poses the biggest threat to the things they and their members want to achieve, and are rightly challenging the rest of us to go further and faster in tackling it.

And - I hope you will agree - the Environment Agency itself gets it.

As regulators, we work every day with industry and the energy sector to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. We are working with local authorities, planners and developers to create better places, designed for the climate we now anticipate. We are working with the water companies to manage the short term consequences of drought, as we have been doing this summer, and to ensure that the country will have better water security in the long term: last week I launched a new collaborative initiative with the leaders of the water industry to do precisely that.

We are building new flood defences up and down the country, explicitly designed for climate resilience. We are thinking long term about those defences. We design them with the latest climate change predictions in mind. And we build extra strong foundations beneath many of them so we can raise them as sea level and river flows rise. And despite their long design lives, we are already working on a replacement for many of them.

The Thames Barrier, which protects 125 square kilometres of central London, millions of people, and £200 billion worth of assets, is designed to sustain that protection against a changing climate till around 2070. But we are already planning its successor. I like to think of projects like the next Thames Barrier as the modern version of the great age of cathedral building. We will develop the plans and lay the foundations, and future generations will lift the spire.

The Environment Agency’s philosophy is that we should aim to do better than just surviving a changing climate: our aspiration is to help the country thrive in it. We can do that by working with the grain of the natural environment.

Example: the Medmerry flood defence scheme on the Sussex Coast. Instead of building an unsightly wall to protect the local community from rising seas we knocked a large hole in the shoreline to let the sea in so as to create a large new area of coastal wetland. That wetland is the flood defence: it absorbs the high tides safely. But it is also a new and beautiful wildlife habitat, now run by the RSBP as a bird sanctuary. It’s a great example of how you can turn the threat of climate change into an opportunity to create a better place.

We in the Environment Agency are also trying to walk the walk ourselves. We are reducing the carbon footprint from our own day to day operations year on year. Our £3bn Pension Fund is a leader in green finance. We have embedded climate risk into our pension investment strategy for well over a decade and have delivered outperformance.

Together with the Church of England’s investing bodies we founded the Transition Pathway Initiative, with the Paris climate goals at its heart. The TPI assesses how companies are preparing for the transition to a low-carbon economy and is supported by asset managers and owners with over £7 trillion of assets under management. And at Governor Brown’s Global Climate Action Summit earlier this month, it was announced that TPI’s insight will inform Climate Action 100+, a global investor initiative to engage with companies to drive climate action, supported by $31 trillion assets under management.

Perhaps more important still, the British public increasingly get it. More and more of the people I meet up and down the country tell me that they are seeing evidence of climate change happening in front of their eyes. Many of them then go on to say that all of us as individuals have a duty to what we can to tackle it.

Don’t underestimate the power of the people. We’ve seen an almost overnight change in behaviour in relation to plastics. We’re seeing something similar, if slower, in people’s attitude to water, with more and more of us taking care to use it wisely. It has become socially unacceptable to litter or to use throwaway plastic bags. It is increasingly socially unacceptable to waste water. The same thing can happen – and maybe is happening – with regard to behaviour which stokes climate change.

One last bit of good news: while it will cost a lot of money to respond successfully to climate change, we can afford it. Indeed, it’s the best investment we could possibly make. It would be much more expensive not to respond. And the economic benefits of mitigating and adapting to climate change – in terms of damage foregone, extra growth achieved through new investment and infrastructure, prosperity boosted through innovative technology - far outweigh the costs.

The scandal is not that climate change is made up. The scandal is that it’s not, and that while a lot is already being done to tackle it, we are still not doing all we could. Why is tackling changing climate not at the top of everyone’s agenda? Partly, no doubt, because most people have busy lives and other things to worry about. Partly because the effects of a changing climate tend to be invisible and incremental until they are suddenly catastrophic. And maybe too because of the words we use. Language matters. So here’s a final thought: if words like “climate change” and “global warming” have become a turn-off for most ordinary people, maybe we should change the words. Perhaps we should talk instead about what those things actually mean: killer weather, a world under water, and a mortgaged future.

Many people might not get out of bed to fight something that sounds vaguely technical and non-threatening called climate change. But pretty much all of us would do so to protect our loved ones, our homes and our livelihoods, and to build a better world. Conclusion: climate change is too true to be good. So let’s tell it like it is, let’s tackle it together, and let’s redouble our efforts. Over the last two hundred years humans have comprehensively demonstrated that they can change the climate – and we have changed it for the worse by doing the wrong things. Now let’s show we can change it for the better by doing the right things.

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Are we communicating climate change wrong? Here are five ways to improve.

The way we communicate the issue has a different impact on different audiences

May 6, 2024

Tree on shore

We typically communicate climate change focusing on rising ocean levels, more intense storms and droughts. But we rarely connect the dots to the social and economic impacts.

Fernando Andrade

Climate Change Technical Specialist, UNDP

During the last decade working on climate change, I’ve witnessed how the way we communicate the issue has a different impact on different audiences. Tailormade messages and differentiated approaches have proven to be the most effective for me. I’m sharing my top tips to help you communicate climate change to your audience.

Take on the role of a climate change translator

To motivate our audience to take action, we need to avoid the “one speech for all”.

If you are working on climate change, and you want to share your message across different audiences, the first thing you need to consider is, who is listening or reading. Make sure you are tailoring your message for the intended audience.

I often see colleagues in our industry communicating in a way that assumes that people understand them. All the technical jargon, the acronyms and technical concepts tend to alienate people. We don’t need to sound smart to be smart, especially when not everybody has the same access to knowledge and awareness of the topic. 

We need to resonate with our audience. We must identify their motivations, their objectives, and their needs. For instance, the interests and experiences of young people will be different than those of government officials. How they speak or what kind of words will impact them will be different too.

When talking to the private sector, I’ve seen that focusing on how their businesses can be affected by climate change, talking about how climate action can help them be more efficient, more competitive, and gain access to new markets can go a long way.

We should make more conscious attempts to better communicate outside of our echo chamber. The same way that an interpreter translates from one language to another so more people can understand, we need to be “climate interpreters” to help bring more people into the conversation. 

If you are afraid of oversimplifying concepts or not being scientifically accurate, don’t forget that there is a big difference between simple and simplistic. We don’t want to be simplistic, but being clear and simple will really help you to get your message across.

Make it human

Climate change is no longer an exclusively scientific issue, it is also a socio-economic development issue. 

Yet, we can go out to the streets and start asking people about climate change, and you’ll be surprised to see how many don’t understand the term, although they do feel the impact. 

I typically see how people communicate about climate change focusing on the physical impacts, such as the rising sea levels, the polar ice caps melting, and extreme weather events, but often don’t connect the dots to the social and economic impacts.

To change this perception, it’s necessary to tell the story differently - using metaphors, analogies, and real life examples. Focus on the human side, explain how climate change can affect different aspects of their current lifestyle, such as purchasing power, the ability to work more efficiently, and make a living for themselves and their families. For example, explaining how droughts can affect the generation of electricity creating blackouts and how this impacts their livelihood, how the cost of food will rise due to floods, how fishing communities will suffer from ocean acidification.

Add a dash of hope

It’s well known that if we feel hopeless about a situation, we won’t take action to make a change. Why would we bother if we’re doomed anyway?

Yes, we need to communicate the need for urgent action, and yes, we need to sound all the alarms, but we also need to communicate hope and let people know that we can reverse the problem. That our actions count, and that collectively we can change the trajectory. The solutions are there, we just need the political will to foster the change.

Let’s inform about the different options and paths to be more prepared for the impacts of climate change. Let’s inform readers and listeners about the alternatives to help us reduce our impact. Highlight the positive and tell people what they can do to take action instead of listing only the terrible things that will happen if they don’t. Focus on sharing successful and inspiring examples or local experiences that they can relate to. 

Co-create the message

If you want your message to be replicated, it needs to be co-created with the relevant audiences. If you want to reach Indigenous Peoples, you need to work with them, create the messages in a way that relates to their lives and their culture. It might need to be in their native language, so it has more impact and reaches more people.

If you are working with the private sector, you need to shape the message with them based on their knowledge of their own industries. This approach often leads to companies becoming champions or advocates who start bringing other companies into the conversation. 

If you want to send the message to young people, you have to share it using their channels of communication. For example, we recently developed the  Youth for Climate Action e-learning course , but we didn’t do it from UNDP only. We worked with youth organizations so that they could shape the course in the way they knew was best for young people. It was designed by youth for youth. 

Get your sources right

If you are a communicator or a journalist, you know that communicating science is no easy task. You’ll need to become a “half-expert” on some topics, so you understand the issue enough to repackage it and communicate it to your audience in a more digestible way. This is especially a challenge when talking about climate change. There are countless acronyms, extensive theories, endless pages of treaties and agreements. It gets even more challenging as climate change misinformation and disinformation are so widespread and are  on the rise . 

But before you panic, there’s no need to become an expert on climate science to communicate it. There are resources that will help you to familiarize with the climate change terminology such as the  Climate Dictionary . You can partner with organizations and institutions that are authorities in the topic who could act as reliable sources of information. You can seek fact-checking websites, such as  Verified , that will help you avoid giving inaccurate or fake information. When communicating, share resources based on evidence and official sources, such as  UN websites , including UNFCCC and UNDP, academic research, and reputable news sources. 

Beware of greenwashing, making sure that you are communicating about real sustainable practices, and think whether you are including the different communities involved in your narrative. 

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Speeches on Climate Action

From top leaders around the united nations, secretary-general's remarks to the united nations civil society conference in support of the summit of the future.

“Our fight is one fight: Creating a better world and a brighter future for all.”

Secretary-General's press conference ahead of the closing session of the United Nations Civil Society Conference

“The crises we face demand international solutions.The United Nations will never stop fighting to deliver – for Africa and for all humanity.”

Secretary-General's message on World Press Freedom Day

“The United Nations recognizes the invaluable work of journalists and media professionals to ensure that the public is informed and engaged.”

Secretary-General's remarks for the Launch of the Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals

“The renewables revolution is happening – but we must make sure that it is done in a way that moves us towards justice.”

Secretary-General's remarks at the UNDP Climate Promise 2025 Launch

“And together, let’s make the next round of climate action plans count.”

Secretary-General’s message on International Mother Earth Day

“Repairing relations with Mother Earth is the mother of all of humanity’s challenges. We must act – and act now – to create a better future for us all.”

Secretary-General's video message for the 11th Ministerial Meeting of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action

“The end of the fossil fuel age is coming. It is unstoppable. But finance is essential to supercharge the shift.”

Secretary-General’s video message to the Opening of Part II of the 14th IRENA Assembly

“Our task is to ensure the transition is fast enough, and fair enough – to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and bring the benefits of affordable clean power to everyone by 2030.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the 2024 ECOSOC Youth Forum

“I salute young people for being on the frontlines for bold climate action.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the General Assembly debate on Debt Sustainability and Socio-Economic Equality for All

“Let’s seize this opportunity to forge a more effective and fairer multilateral system — one that responds to the needs of today's world with agility, empathy and above all, justice.”

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary’s remarks at Chatham House

“Every voice matters. Yours have never been more important. If you want bolder climate action, now is the time to make yours count.”

Secretary-General’s message on the International Day of Zero Waste

“On this Zero Waste Day, let’s pledge to end the destructive cycle of waste, once and for all.”

Secretary-General's message on Earth Hour

“Together, let’s turn off the lights and turn the world towards a brighter future for us all.”

Secretary-General’s message on World Meteorological Day

“All of us must unite at the frontlines of climate action – the theme of this year’s World Meteorological Day – and fight for a better future.”

Secretary-General's message on World Water Day

“Water stewardship can strengthen multilateralism and ties between communities, and build resilience to climate disasters.”

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary’s remarks at the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial

“On climate action - we’re now in the race to the top. Every country has a choice: plan for a better economy and fix finance for a better world or miss out on the opportunities others are reaping.”

Secretary-General's video message to the WMO “State of the Global Climate 2023” report launch

“Every fraction of a degree of global heating impacts the future of life on Earth.”

Secretary-General's video message for the 10th European Summit of Regions and Cities

“The fight against climate catastrophe will be lost or won in cities, which account for 70 per cent of carbon emissions.”

Secretary-General's message on World Wildlife Day

“We depend on nature. Let’s show that nature can depend on us – and act now to protect it."

Secretary-General's remarks at the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit

“All countries must commit to new economy-wide nationally determined contributions by 2025 that align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.”

Secretary-General's video message to the 6th United Nations Environment Assembly

“You have shown before that you can unite and deliver – most recently with your historic decision to negotiate a plastic treaty. I urge you to do so again – and go further.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the Human Rights Council

“Environmental justice and climate justice are rallying cries for ethical, equitable treatment, accountability and human rights.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the Munich Security Conference: Growing the Pie: A Global Order that works for Everyone

“The next two years must see ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions – national climate plans – from every country, covering every sector.”

Secretary-General's video message to the International Energy Agency's 50th Anniversary Celebration

“Limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, ultimately depends on putting an end to fossil fuels.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council High-level Open Debate on the Impact of Climate Change and Food Insecurity on the Maintenance of Int'l Peace and Security

“Climate action is action for food security and action for peace.”

Secretary-General's message on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science

“From climate change to health to artificial intelligence, the equal participation of women and girls in scientific discovery and innovation is the only way to ensure that science works for everyone.”

Secretary-General's briefing to the General Assembly on Priorities for 2024

“We must act this year to ensure that the transition is just for people and planet – and that it will be fast enough to prevent full-on climate catastrophe”

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary’s remarks at ADA University in Baku, Azerbaijan

“At UN Climate Change, we will not rest in pushing for the highest ambition – in accordance with the science – working side-by-side with all governments, businesses and community leaders.”

Secretary-General's message on the International Day of Clean Energy

“Strong, cohesive societies can only be built on a foundation of advancing sustainable development, respecting human rights, and recognizing the rights of minorities, and standing up to all forms of discrimination.”

Secretary-General's press encounter at Third South Summit - G77 plus China

“This September, the United Nations will convene the Summit of the Future, with a focus on updating these institutions so that they align with today’s world and respond to today’s challenges.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the Third South Summit - G77 Plus China

“I ask you to unite against climate catastrophe. The very existence of some countries in this room depends on limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.”

Secretary-General's Special Address to the World Economic Forum

“The phaseout of fossil fuels is essential and inevitable. No amount of spin or scare tactics will change that. Let’s hope it doesn’t come too late.”

Secretary-General's video message to the Sustainable Regional Aviation Forum

“A carbon-free future is the only way forward. And the aviation sector can help deliver this future.”

Secretary-General's video message for New Year 2024 [available in EN & FR]

“2024 must be a year for rebuilding trust and restoring hope. We must come together across divides for shared solutions”

Secretary-General's statement at the closing of the UN Climate Change Conference COP28

“The era of fossil fuels must end – and it must end with justice and equity.”

UN Secretary-General's press encounter at COP28

“In our fractured and divided world, COP28 can show that multilateralism remains our best hope to tackle global challenges.”

Secretary-General's remarks to roundtable on report of High-Level Expert Group on Net Zero

“The report by my High-Level Expert Group on Net Zero, so well represented here, provides a blueprint for credible climate action by non-state actors that aligns with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.”

Secretary-General's remarks to Early Warnings for All event at COP28

"In a world defined by escalating climate injustices, early warning systems are the most basic tool for saving lives and securing livelihoods.”

Secretary-General's remarks at Global Climate Action High Level Event: Towards a Turning Point for Climate Action

“Let’s deliver the renewable, sustainable and equitable future people and planet deserve.”

Secretary-General's remarks to G77+China COP28 Leaders' Summit

“This COP can win with a double objective: maximum ambition on mitigation and maximum ambition in relation to climate justice, namely taking into full account the interests of developing countries.”

Secretary-General's remarks at High-Level meeting of the Landlocked Developing Countries

“Together, we can lay the foundation for a more resilient and sustainable future for over 500 million people of landlocked developing countries, leaving no one behind.”

UN Secretary-General's remarks to "Call of the Mountains: who saves us from the climate crisis?" organized by the Prime Minister of Nepal

“The mountains are issuing a distress call. COP28 must respond with a rescue plan”

UN Secretary-General's remarks to the Local Climate Action Summit

“Let’s stand as one — and work as one — to protect all communities from the climate crisis, and spur the renewable, sustainable and equitable future people and planet deserve.”

UN Secretary-General's remarks at opening of World Climate Action Summit

“We are miles from the goals of the Paris Agreement – and minutes to midnight for the 1.5-degree limit. But it is not too late. We can - you can - prevent planetary crash and burn.”

Secretary-General's video message to the WMO “State of the Global Climate 2023” Report launch

“We need leaders to fire the starting gun at COP28 on a race to keep the 1.5 degree limit alive.”

Secretary-General's press encounter on Climate (and situation in the Middle East)

“Leaders must not let the hopes of people around the world for a sustainable planet melt away. They must make COP28 count.”

Secretary-General's video message to the 18th Climate Change Conference of Youth

“I am proud to stand in solidarity with you ahead of this vital COP. Young people are the climate fighters our world needs.”

Secretary-General's message on World Sustainable Transport Day

“I am convinced humanity is up to the challenge of breaking our addiction to climate-killing fossil fuels, and creating resilient, efficient and low-carbon transportation systems grounded in innovative renewable energy sources.”

Secretary-General's video message from Antarctica

“So as leaders gather for COP28, my message is clear: Break this cycle. And act now to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, protect people from climate chaos, and end the fossil fuel age.”

Secretary-General's video message to the Third ICAO Conference on Aviation and Alternative Fuels

“By moving at jet speed, you can speed-up the clean energy revolution our world needs.”

Secretary-General's press conference on UNEP Emissions Gap Report Launch

“We know it is still possible to make the 1.5 degree limit a reality. And we know how to get there – we have roadmaps from the International Energy Agency and the IPCC.”

Secretary-General's Message - UNFCCC NDC Synthesis Report Launch

“Governments must come together to line up the necessary finance, support and partnerships to increase ambition in their national climate plans and swiftly put those plans into action. And developed countries must rebuild trust by delivering on their finance commitments.”

Secretary-General's video message for the Paris Peace Forum - “Seeking common ground in a world of rivalry”

“Seeking common ground means cutting emissions and ensuring climate justice for those who did least to cause this crisis but are paying the highest price – starting at the COP28.”

Secretary-General's message on UNEP Production Gap Report Launch

“Leaders must act now to save humanity from the worst impacts of climate chaos, and profit from the extraordinary benefits of renewable energy.”

Secretary-General's video message to the “Confluence Of Conscience: Uniting Faith Leaders For Planetary Resurgence” Conference

“We need your moral voice and spiritual authority to summon the conscience of leaders, awaken their ambition, and inspire them to do what is needed at COP28 to save our one and only home.”

Secretary-General's message on World Tsunami Awareness Day

“On World Tsunami Awareness Day, let us commit to leaving no one behind when a tsunami strikes, and work together to secure a safe, prosperous future for all.”

Secretary-General's message for the Adaptation Gap Report Launch

“Today’s report shows the gap in adaptation funding is the highest ever. The world must take action to close the adaptation gap and deliver climate justice.”

Secretary-General's message on World Cities Day

“Cities are engines of economic growth and innovation that hold the key to achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at the opening of the Pre-COP28 [as prepared for delivery]

“The solutions are in the hands of us all. What we need is the political will, finance and courage to roll them out at the pace, and at the scale this crisis demands.”

Secretary-General’s video message on Glaciers from the Mount Everest Region

“We must act now to protect people on the frontline and to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, to avert the worst of climate chaos.”

Secretary-General’s remarks at the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation

“We can turn the infrastructure emergency into an infrastructure opportunity, supercharge the implementation of the sustainable development goals, and deliver hope and progress for billions of people and the planet we share.”

Secretary-General's video message to the UN World Tourism Organisation General Assembly

“The climate crisis is threatening many tourist destinations and the very survival of communities around the world.”

Secretary-General's message on World Food Day

“The sustainable management of water for agriculture and food production is essential to end hunger, achieve the SDGs, and preserve water for future generations.”

Secretary-General's message on the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

“Countries must work to break the cycle of poverty and disaster by honouring the Paris Agreement, striving to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.”

Secretary-General's Message for World Habitat Day

“On this World Habitat Day, let us pledge to build inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable human settlements for all people, everywhere.”

Secretary-General's video message to the International Climate and Energy Summit

“The Climate Ambition Summit I hosted in New York last month indicated a collective way forward. And it showed that action to meet the 1.5 degree limit is not a dream. It is practical and it is possible.”

Secretary-General's video message to the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Leaders' Meeting

“With global action for climate justice and financial justice, we can create the change you need. The United Nations is with you, every step of the way.”

Secretary-General's Closing Remarks at the Climate Ambition Summit

“This started as the Climate Ambition Summit and I believe it ends as the Climate Hope Summit.”

Secretary-General's opening remarks at the Climate Ambition Summit

“We can still limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5 degrees. We can still build a world of clear air, green jobs, and affordable clean power for all.”

Secretary-General's address to the General Assembly

“One Summit will not change the world. But today can be a powerful moment to generate momentum”

Secretary-General's remarks to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

“We must end the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the Opening of the SDG Action Weekend

“The SDGs are not about checking boxes. They’re about the hopes, dreams, rights and expectations of people and the health of our natural environment.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the G77 & China Summit

“We need action now. We need action today.”

Secretary-General's Press Conference - prior to the 78th session of the UN General Assembly

“My appeal to world leaders will be clear: This is not a time for posturing or positioning. This is not a time for indifference or indecision. This is a time to come together for real, practical solutions.”

Secretary-General's video message to the International Conference on Combating Sand and Dust Storms

“Together, we can help to calm the storms, and build a safer, healthier, more sustainable world for us all.”

Secretary-General's press conference at G20

“I have come to the G20 with a simple but urgent appeal: we cannot go on like this. We must come together and act together for the common good. ”

Secretary-General's message on the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies

“Our air is a common good and a common responsibility. Let’s work together to clean it up, protect our health, and leave a healthy planet for generations to come.”

Secretary-General's message on the Hottest Summer on Record

“Surging temperatures demand a surge in action. Leaders must turn up the heat now for climate solutions.”

Secretary-General's remarks at African Climate Summit

“Renewable energy could be the African miracle, but we must make it happen.”

Secretary-General's video message to the African Youth Climate Assembly

“The passion and determination of young people around the world is responsible for much of the climate action that we have seen. You are what climate leadership looks like.”

Secretary-General's message on International Youth Day

“From innovative sustainable technologies and renewable energy, to revolutions in transportation systems and industrial activity, young people must be equipped with skills and knowledge to shape a cleaner, greener, more climate resilient future.”

Secretary-General's press conference - on climate

“We must turn a year of burning heat into a year of burning ambition. And accelerate climate action – now.”

UN Secretary-General's remarks to the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment

“We need food systems that can help end the senseless war on our planet. Food systems transformation is fundamental to reducing carbon emissions and limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.”

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ remarks at the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council: Adverse impact of climate change on the full realization of the right to food

“Addressing climate change is a human rights issue. And the world demands action, now.”

Secretary-General's video message to the 80th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee

“This meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee is a chance to steer us towards a clean, prosperous future for the industry – and a safer future for humanity.”

Secretary-General's remarks at Sciences Po University

“Sound the alarm. Stand up for each other and our planet, and human rights.”

Secretary-General remarks at the Paris Summit on a New Global Financing Pact

“I have proposed an SDG Stimulus of $500 billion US dollars per year for investments in sustainable development and climate action.”

Secretary-General's remarks at the Intergov. Conference on an INT'L Legally Binding Instrument under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction

“By acting to counter threats to our planet that go beyond national boundaries, you are demonstrating that global threats deserve global action.”

Secretary-General's press conference - on Climate

“I call on all fossil fuel companies to present credible, comprehensive and detailed new transition plans – fully in line with all the recommendations of my High-level Expert Group on net zero pledges.”

Secretary-General's opening remarks at press briefing on Policy Brief on Information Integrity on Digital Platforms

“The proliferation of hate and lies in the digital space is causing grave global harm – now. It is fueling conflict, death and destruction – now. It is threatening democracy and human rights – now. It is undermining public health and climate action – now.”

Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at the Member States Briefing on the Climate Ambition Summit [as prepared for delivery]

“We hope and expect that your leaders, the private sector, and civil society organizations, will come to the Summit with credible and ambitious actions and commitments.”

Secretary-General's message on World Oceans Day 2023

“Human-induced climate change is heating our planet, disrupting weather patterns and ocean currents, and altering marine ecosystems and the species living there.”

Secretary-General's message on World Environment Day

“Plastic is made from fossil fuels – the more plastic we produce, the more fossil fuel we burn, and the worse we make the climate crisis. But we have solutions.”

Secretary-General's video message to the UN HABITAT Assembly

“Multilateralism must support cities to take action on climate, advance access to affordable housing, and deliver the local initiatives needed to make the SDGs a reality.”

Secretary-General's message on the International Day for Biological Diversity

“Last year’s agreement on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework marked an important step – but now is the time to move from agreement to action.”

Secretary-General’s video message to the G7 Summit

“Climate action is working – but we are clearly off track. The Acceleration Agenda I proposed aims to make up for lost time.”

Secretary-General's video message to the Austrian World Summit

“On climate, we have all the tools we need to get the job done. But if we waste time, we will be out of time.”

Secretary-General's video message to the 8th Wildland Fire Conference

“But by working together, we can build a safer, more sustainable, and more resilient world for all."

Secretary-General's video message to the Petersberg Climate Dialogue

“We must act on science, facts and truth."

Secretary-General's remarks at the TIME CO2 Earth Awards

“People power is renewable energy that can move the dial."

Secretary-General's remarks to launch the Special Edition of the Sustainable Development Goals Progress Report

"The agreements reached in 2015 in New York, Addis and Paris stand for peace and prosperity, people and planet. That promise is now in peril."

Secretary-General's message on International Mother Earth Day

“This Earth Day, I urge people everywhere to raise your voices – in your schools, workplaces and faith communities, and on social media platforms – and demand leaders make peace with nature."

Secretary-General's video message to the Major Economies Forum

“The science is clear: new fossil fuel projects are entirely incompatible with 1.5 degrees."

Secretary-General's remarks at Opening Ceremony of the 22nd Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

"Indigenous Peoples hold many of the solutions to the climate crisis and are guardians of the world’s biodiversity… We have so much to learn from their wisdom, knowledge, leadership, experience, and example."

Secretary-General's remarks to the General Assembly on the request of an Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change

“The climate crisis can only be overcome through cooperation – between peoples, cultures, nations, generations."

Secretary-General's video message to the Economist Impact's 8th Annual Sustainability Week

“We have never been better equipped to solve the climate challenge – but we must move into high gear now."

Secretary-General's remarks at the United Nations Water Conference

“Now is the moment for game-changing commitments to bring the Water Action Agenda to life."

Secretary-General's video message for press conference to launch the Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

“We have never been better equipped to solve the climate challenge – but we must move into warp speed climate action now."

Secretary-General's video message to the 58th Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

“The facts are not in question. But our actions are."

UN Secretary-General's remarks to the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council

“Fossil fuel producers and their financiers must understand one simple truth: pursuing mega-profits when so many people are losing their lives and rights, now and in the future, is totally unacceptable."

ASG Hart’s Remarks to the Global Engagement Summit

“We must act now. The time for excuses, delayed action and incrementalism is over."

Deputy Secretary-General's remarks to the Oslo Energy Forum [as prepared for delivery]

“Above all, we must focus on two urgent outcomes: cutting emissions and achieving climate justice."

Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council Debate on "Sea-level Rise: Implications for International Peace and Security"

“Sea-level rise is not only a threat in itself. It is a threat-multiplier."

Secretary-General's briefing to the General Assembly on Priorities for 2023

“We need a renewables revolution, not a self-destructive fossil fuel resurgence."

Secretary-General's remarks at the World Economic Forum

“Today, fossil fuel producers and their enablers are still racing to expand production, knowing full well that this business model is inconsistent with human survival."

Secretary-General's video message to the 13th session of the IRENA Assembly: “World Energy Transition – The Global Stocktake”

“If we are to avert climate catastrophe, renewables are the only credible path forward."

Secretary-General's remarks at the International Conference on a Climate Resilient Pakistan

“Words are not enough. Without action, climate catastrophe is coming for all of us."

Secretary-General's remarks at End-of-Year Press Conference

“The global emissions gap is growing. The 1.5-degree goal is gasping for breath. National climate plans are falling woefully short. And yet, we are not retreating. We are fighting back."

Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at the High-Level Segment of COP-15

“Together we can protect the web of life that makes our planet unique — and ensure that humanity prospers in harmony with nature."

Secretary-General's opening remarks at Press Stakeout at COP15 Biodiversity Conference in Montreal

“Climate action and protection of biodiversity are two sides of the same coin."

Secretary-General's remarks at the UN Biodiversity Conference — COP15

“Together, let’s adopt and deliver an ambitious framework — a peace pact with nature — and pass on a better, greener, bluer and more sustainable world to our children."

Secretary-General's statement at the conclusion of COP27

“Together, let’s not relent in the fight for climate justice and climate ambition. We can and must win this battle for our lives." 

Secretary-General's remarks at COP27 stakeout

“The world is watching and has a simple message to all of us: stand and deliver. Deliver the kind of meaningful climate action that people and planet so desperately need.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the G20 session on food and energy crises [as delivered]

“There is no way we can defeat climate change without a Climate Solidarity Pact between developed countries and large emerging economies. […] The Just Energy Transition Partnerships are an important first step.”

Opening remarks of the Secretary-General at press conference at G20 Summit

“The goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees is slipping away. We are dangerously close to tipping points at which climate chaos could become irreversible. Science tells us that global heating beyond that limit poses an existential threat to all life on earth. But global emissions, and temperatures, continue to rise.”

Secretary-General's remarks at launch of Al Gore's Climate TRACE initiative

“We have huge emissions gaps, finance gaps, adaptation gaps. But those gaps cannot be effectively addressed without plugging the data gaps. After all, it is impossible to effectively manage and control what we cannot measure.”

Secretary-General's remarks at launch of report of High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Commitments [as delivered]

“Calling the new report of his independent Net-zero Expert Group on Emissions Commitments “a how-to guide to ensure credible, accountable net-zero pledges,” the Secretary-General today stressed that “using bogus ‘net-zero’ pledges to cover up massive fossil fuel expansion is reprehensible.”

Secretary-General's remarks at joint press encounter with Prime Minister of Pakistan

“There are moments in our life that become unforgettable and that mark us deeply. My last visit to Pakistan was one of these moments. To see an area flooded that is three times the size of my country, Portugal. To see the loss of life, the loss of crops, the loss of livelihoods.”

Secretary-General’s remarks at the launch of early warning for all executive action plan

“Universal early warning coverage can save lives and deliver huge financial benefits. Just 24 hours’ notice of an impending hazardous event can cut damage by 30 per cent. And yet, around the world, vulnerable communities have no way of knowing that hazardous weather is on its way.”

Secretary-General's remarks to High-Level opening of COP27

“The science is clear: any hope of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees means achieving global net zero emissions by 2050.”

Secretary-General’s message at the launch of the Provisional State of the Global Climate 2022

“As COP27 gets underway, our planet is sending a distress signal. The latest State of the Global Climate report is a chronicle of climate chaos.”

Secretary-General’s message at the launch of UNEP’s Adaptation Gap Report

“Today’s UNEP Adaptation Gap report makes clear that the world is failing to protect people from the here-and-now impacts of the climate crisis.”

Secretary-General's video message on the Release of the United Nations Environment Programme Emissions Gap Report

"Commitments to net zero are worth zero without the plans, policies and actions to back it up. Our world cannot afford any more greenwashing, fake movers or late movers."

Message on lancet countdown: tracking progress on health and climate change

"The science is clear: massive, common-sense investments in renewable energy and climate resilience will secure a healthier, safer life for people in every country."
"People need adequate warning to prepare for extreme weather events. That is why I am calling for universal early warning coverage in the next five years. Early warning systems – and the ability to act on them -- are proven lifesavers."

Secretary-General letter to G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors

“The COVID-19 pandemic, impacts of the war in Ukraine seen in the rising cost of living and tightening financial conditions and unsustainable debt burdens, along with the escalating climate emergency, are wreaking havoc on economies across the globe.”

Secretary-General's remarks at press encounter on Pre-Cop27

"Starting today, government representatives are meeting in Kinshasa for the critical pre-COP that will set the stage. The work ahead is immense. As immense as the climate impacts we are seeing around the world."

Secretary-General's message on World Habitat Day

"On World Habitat Day, let us pledge to live up to our shared responsibility to one another."

Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at pre-COP27 discussions

"We need progress at COP27. Progress that shows that leaders fully comprehend the scale of the emergency we face and the value of COP, as a space where world leaders come together to solve problems and take responsibility."

Secretary-General's video message to Countdown to COP15: Leaders Event for a Nature-Positive World

"Today’s suicidal war on nature will have devastating consequences for us all. It is fueling the climate crisis, driving species to extinction, and destroying ecosystems. It is making growing areas of our planet inhospitable, driving conflict and pandemics, and jeopardizing our Sustainable Development Goals."

UN Secretary-General's Address to the General Assembly [Trilingual]

"Polluters must pay. Today, I am calling on all developed economies to tax the windfall profits of fossil fuel companies. Those funds should be re-directed in two ways: to countries suffering loss and damage caused by the climate crisis; and to people struggling with rising food and energy prices."

UN Secretary-General’s message at launch of the United in Science Report

"This year’s United in Science report shows climate impacts heading into uncharted territories of destruction. Yet each year we double-down on this fossil fuel addiction, even as the symptoms get rapidly worse."

Time to make good on adaptation promises

“Now is the time for solidarity and keeping the promise to humankind while protecting our planet,” said Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed at the Africa Adaptation Finance Forum in the lead-up to COP27, calling on developed countries to step up funding for the most vulnerable countries to adapt to the worsening climate impacts.

UN Secretary-General remarks at One Billion Tree campaign planting event

"My generation declared war on nature - with climate change with the loss of biodiversity, with pollution. Nature is striking back. Striking back with storms, with desertification with floods, with disasters that are making life very difficult for many people around the world and causing many victims."

UN Secretary-General’s remarks to the press in Japan

"We need solidarity to combat the climate crisis. Japan itself is seeing the consequences of our exploitation of fossil fuels, with an unusual stretch of extreme heat earlier this year, followed by torrential rain."

UN Secretary-General launches the Global Crisis Response Group’s latest brief on the global energy crisis

"I urge people everywhere to send a clear message to the fossil fuel industry and their financiers that this grotesque greed is punishing the poorest and most vulnerable people, while destroying our only common home, the planet."

Secretary-General's video message to the Petersberg Dialogue

“This has to be the decade of decisive climate action. That means trust, multilateralism and collaboration. We have a choice. Collective action or collective suicide. It is in our hands.”

Secretary-General's remarks at the opening of the 2022 High-level Segment of ECOSOC, Ministerial Segment of High-Level Political Forum

“Ending the global addiction to fossil fuels through a renewable energy revolution is priority number one.”

UN Secretary-General's remarks at the 43rd Regular Meeting of the CARICOM Conference

“The Caribbean is ground zero for the global climate emergency.”

UN Secretary-General's opening remarks to United Nations Ocean Conference

“Sustainable ocean management could help the ocean produce as much as six times more food and generate 40 times more renewable energy than it currently does.”

UN Secretary-General's virtual remarks to Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate

“Renewables not only fight the climate crisis, they support energy security. The time for hedging bets has ended. The world has gambled on fossil fuels and lost.”

UN Secretary-General’s video message to the 6th Austrian World Summit

“New funding for fossil fuel exploration and production infrastructure is delusional. I repeat my call for G20 governments to dismantle coal infrastructure, with a full phase-out by 2030 for OECD countries and 2040 for all others.”

Secretary-General's remarks to Stockholm+50 international meeting

“Let us recommit – in words and deeds – to the spirit of responsibility enshrined in the 1972 Stockholm Declaration.”

Remarks of Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action, Selwin Hart, to the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit

“With just six months until COP27 in Egypt, the world is way off track to meet our collective goals on mitigation, finance and adaptation. We have less than a decade to reverse course.”
“Let us make sure our leaders bring the ambition and action needed to address our triple planetary emergency. Because we have only one Mother Earth. We must do everything we can to protect her.”

Secretary-General's video message on the launch of the third IPCC report

“Demand that renewable energy is introduced now – at speed and at scale. Demand an end to coal-fired power. Demand an end to all fossil fuel subsidies.”

Secretary-General's remarks at the launch of the the High-Level Expert Group on Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities

“If we don’t see significant and sustained emissions reductions this decade, the window of opportunity to keep 1.5 alive will be closed – and closed forever.”

Secretary-General's message on World Meteorological Day

“Today I announce the United Nations will spearhead new action to ensure every person on Earth is protected by early warning systems within five years.”
“On this World Water Day, let us commit to intensifying collaboration among sectors and across borders so we can sustainably balance the needs of people and nature and harness groundwater for current and future generations.”

Secretary-General's message on the International Day of Forests

“On this International Day of Forests, let us recommit to healthy forests for healthier livelihoods.”

Secretary-General's remarks to Economist Sustainability Summit

“Instead of hitting the brakes on the decarbonization of the global economy, now is the time to put the pedal to the metal towards a renewable energy future.”
“On this World Wildlife Day let us commit to preserving our invaluable and irreplaceable wildlife for the benefit and delight of current and future generations.”

Secretary-General's video message to UNEP@50: Special Session of the UN Environment Assembly

“UNEP's science, policy work, coordination and advocacy has helped to right environmental wrongs around the world and raise awareness of the importance of the environmental dimension of sustainable development.”

Secretary-General's video message to the Press Conference Launch of IPCC Report

“Every fraction of a degree matters. Every voice can make a difference. And every second counts.”

Secretary-General's video message to the Club de Lisboa conference: "Energizing the World while preserving the planet"

“Every country must strengthen their Nationally Determined Contributions until they collectively deliver the 45 per cent emissions reduction needed by 2030.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the General Assembly on his Priorities for 2022

“The battle to keep the 1.5-degree goal alive will be won or lost in this decade.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the World Economic Forum [as delivered]

“Turning this ship around will take immense willpower and ingenuity from governments and businesses alike, in every major-emitting nation.”

Secretary-General's video message to the Twelfth Session of the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

“By investing in a renewable energy future, we can support pandemic recovery and build resilient societies and sustainable and inclusive economies.”

Closing remarks by Collen Kelapile, President of ECOSOC, at the briefing on the outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26)

“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development offers a roadmap to pursue climate action and sustainable development in an integrated, inclusive and resilient manner.”

Opening remarks by Collen Kelapile, President of ECOSOC, at the briefing on the outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26)

“The Glasgow Climate Pact to keep global warming to 1.5C and the other important commitments are a sign of progress.”

Secretary-General's remarks at Security Council debate on Security in the Context of Terrorism and Climate Change

“Climate impacts compound conflicts and exacerbate fragility.”

Secretary-General's statement on the conclusion of the UN Climate Change Conference COP26

“Success or failure is not an act of nature. It’s in our hands.”

Patricia Espinosa: COP26 Reaches Consensus on Key Actions to Address Climate Change

“For every announcement made, we look forward to both firm plans and the fine print.”

Secretary-General's remarks to Global Climate Action High-Level Event - as delivered

“Only together can we keep 1.5 degrees within reach and the equitable and resilient world we need.”

Secretary-General's video message for the Caring for Climate High-Level Meeting

“Private sector finance must be aligned with a credible net-zero, resilient and sustainable development pathway.”

Delivered remarks of Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action, Selwin Hart, to Powering the World Past Coal event at COP26

“We now need all G20 countries to commit to phase-out coal based on the science. OECD countries by 2030, and globally by 2040.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the Climate Vulnerable Forum Leaders Dialogue [as delivered]

“Every country and region must commit to net zero emissions and pursue concrete and credible near-term targets.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the World Leaders Summit - COP 26 [as delivered]

“We must listen — and we must act — and we must choose wisely.”

Secretary-General's video message to the 16th Conference of Youth (COY) of UNFCCC COP26

“I will continue to call on every country to ensure young people have a seat at the climate decision making table.”

Opening remarks at the launch of the Emissions Gap 2021 Report press conference

“The time for closing the leadership gap must begin in Glasgow.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the High-Level Meeting on Delivering Climate Action - for People, Planet & Prosperity

“We need decarbonization now, across every sector in every country.”

Deputy Secretary-General remarks at the Middle East Green Initiative Summit 2021

“We need to urgently peak, reduce, and stabilize global green-house gas emissions to Net Zero by 2050.”

UN Secretary-General's video remarks to World Bank/IMF Event on Making Climate Action Count

“As COP26 approaches, it is essential for all humanity that we fulfil the promise of the Paris Agreement.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the Second Global Sustainable Transport Conference [as delivered]

“We must act together, smartly, and quickly, to make the next nine years count.”

Secretary-General's video message to Leaders Summit of the UN Biodiversity Conference

“Ecosystem collapse could cost almost three trillion US dollars annually by 2030.”

Secretary-General's message on World Habitat Day 2021

“On World Habitat Day, let us work together to harness the transformative potential of sustainable urban action for the benefit of our planet and all people.”

Secretary-General's remarks at the UNCTAD 15 Opening Ceremony

“We need to turn this around with a bold, sustainable and inclusive global recovery.”

Secretary-General's remarks to Pre-COP26

“It is essential for all humanity that we fulfil the promise of the Paris Agreement.”

Secretary-General’s Video Message to Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition (Pre-COP Youth Event)

“We need young people everywhere to keep raising your voices.”

Opening remarks to High-level Dialogue on Energy

“Investing in clean, affordable energy for all will improve the well-being of billions of people.”

Secretary-General's remarks at the Food Systems Summit

“We must build a world where healthy and nutritious food is available and affordable for everyone, everywhere.”

Secretary-General’s remarks to the Security Council High-level Open Debate on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Climate and Security

“Much bolder climate action is needed ahead of COP 26 – with G20 nations in the lead – to maintain international peace and security.”

Statement by the Secretary-General on the announcements by the United States and China on climate action

“All countries must bring their highest level of ambition to Glasgow if we are to keep the 1.5-degree goal of the Paris Agreement within reach.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the media following the Informal Leaders Roundtable on Climate Action

“Governments must shift subsidies away from fossil fuels and progressively phase out coal use.”

Secretary-General's remarks to Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate [as delivered]

“We need more ambition on finance, adaptation and mitigation.”

Statement by the Secretary-General on the report by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

“The fight against climate change will only succeed if everyone comes together to promote more ambition, more cooperation and more credibility.”

Secretary-General's message on the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

“The Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment show us that by acting together, anything is possible.”

Secretary-General's video message to the media on the launch of United in Science Climate Report

“We need all countries to present more ambitious and achievable Nationally Determined Contributions.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the High-Level Dialogue of the Americas on Climate Action

“We need a breakthrough on adaptation and resilience.”

Deputy Secretary-General's video message for the High-Level Dialogue “Adaptation Acceleration Imperative for COP26” - as convened by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA)

“The IPCC findings provide irrefutable evidence that billions of lives are at risk unless we rapidly cut emissions.”

Secretary-General's statement on the IPCC Working Group 1 Report on the Physical Science Basis of the Sixth Assessment

“As today’s report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses.”

Statement by the Secretary-General on the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Environment, Climate and Energy

“With less than 100 days left before COP 26, I urge all G20 and other leaders to commit to net zero by mid-century, present more ambitious 2030 national climate plans and deliver on concrete policies and actions aligned with a net zero future.”

Secretary-General's remarks to Third G20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors

“The G20 must set ambitious, clear and credible climate policies.”

Secretary-General's video remarks at launch of the First Hydromet Gap Report

“It presents the challenges of the complex global and local undertaking required for effective weather and climate forecast services and it proposes priority solutions to scale up hydromet development.”

Secretary-General's video message to the First Climate Vulnerable Finance Summit

“Developing countries need reassurance that their ambition will be met with much-needed financial and technical support.”

Secretary-General's video message to the Austria World Summit

“All plans and initiatives must be ambitious, credible and verifiable.”

Secretary-General's virtual Press Conference at the G7 Summit

“In the developing world, people are already suffering and need support to build resilience.”

Secretary-General's closing remarks to Insurance Development Forum

“Investments should not be contributing to climate pollution but should be directed towards climate solutions.”
“The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is a global call to action. Everyone can contribute.”

Secretary-General's video remarks to Clean Energy Ministerial meeting

“This decade must also be when renewable energy overtakes fossil fuels.”

Secretary-General's video message to the Partnering for Green Growth Summit

“Tackling climate change head-on will help protect the most vulnerable people from the next crisis while sustaining a job-rich recovery from the pandemic.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the Global Roundtable on Transforming Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development [as delivered]

“All public and private finance in the extractives sector should be aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.”

Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at G7 Climate and Environment Ministerial Meeting [as delivered]

“The G7 holds great sway to ensure that 2021 is a pivotal year for people and planet.”

Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at the "Petersberg Climate Dialogue in New York" Event

“We have six months to deliver concrete results at COP26 and find a balanced and ambitious package on mitigation, adaptation and finance.”

Secretary-General's remarks at 2021 Petersberg Climate Dialogue [as delivered]

“We have six months until COP26. We must make them count.”

Secretary-General's statement at the Conclusion of the Opening Session of the Leaders Summit on Climate

“I welcome the announcement of new and enhanced nationally determined contributions.”

Secretary-General's video message on International Mother Earth Day 2021

“Recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is a chance to set the world on a cleaner, greener, more sustainable path.”

Opening remarks at press conference to launch the "State of the Global Climate in 2020 Report"

“We need radical changes from all financial institutions, public and private, to ensure that they fund sustainable and resilient development for all.”

UN Secretary-General's remarks to Meeting with Leading Mayors Supported by C40 Cities: “Advancing a Carbon-Neutral, Resilient Recovery for Cities and Nations”

“Cities are already succeeding on climate action. The challenge is to speed up, and scale up.”

Secretary-General's remarks at the Leaders' Dialogue on the Africa COVID-Climate Emergency: Delivering the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Programme

“We can provide universal access to energy in Africa primarily through renewable energy.”

Deputy Secretary-General's opening remarks at Climate and Development Ministerial Meeting [as prepared for delivery]

“We must deliver concrete action now to protect the most vulnerable from more severe and frequent climate impacts.”

Secretary-General's video message for Earth Hour 2021

“The United Nations is proud to join in the global effort to mark Earth Hour. It’s a reminder that small actions can make a big difference.”

Secretary-General's video remarks to the 2021 Ministerial on Climate Action, convened by China-EU-Canada

“Together, we must support the communities that are affected, through a just transition that provides decent jobs and a clean environment.”

Secretary-General's video message to Powering Past Coal Alliance Summit

“Phasing out coal from the electricity sector is the single most important step to get in line with the 1.5 degree goal.”

Secretary-General’s statement on the UNFCCC Initial Nationally Determined Contributions Synthesis Report

“2021 is a make or break year to confront the global climate emergency.”

Secretary-General's message marking Second Anniversary of Costa Rica National Decarbonization Plan

“As we strive to expand this coalition, the international community must also turn those pledges into concrete plans.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the Security Council - on addressing climate-related security risks to international peace and security through mitigation and resilience building

“We need to embrace a concept of security that puts people at its centre.”

Secretary-General's remarks to event marking the United States rejoining the Paris Agreement

“Today is a day of hope, as the United States officially rejoins the Paris Agreement. This is good news for the United States — and for the world.”

Secretary-General's Remarks at briefing to Member States by incoming COP26 President

“We need every voice at the table. As we collectively address our climate emergency, no voice, and no solution, should be left behind.”

Secretary-General's Remarks to Member States on Priorities for 2021

“Let’s keep building the global coalition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.”

Secretary-General's special address at Davos Agenda

“We need you more than ever to help us change course, end fragility, avert climate catastrophe and build the equitable and sustainable future we want and we need.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the Climate Adaptation Summit

“Adaptation cannot be the neglected half of the climate equation.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the COP26 Roundtable on Clean Power Transition

“We must invest in a future of affordable renewable energy for all people, everywhere.”

Secretary-General's remarks to the One Planet Summit

“2021 must be the year to reconcile humanity with nature.”

Secretary-General's remarks at the Climate Ambition Summit

“Climate action is the barometer of leadership in today’s world. It is what people and planet need at this time.”

Secretary-General's address at Columbia University: "The State of the Planet"

“Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere.”

Secretary-General's remarks on Climate Action to European Council on Foreign Relations

“It is essential that the European Union commits to reducing emissions by at least 55 per cent by 2030. The Climate Ambition Summit on the five-year anniversary of the Paris Agreement represents a clear opportunity for the EU to present its more ambitious climate plan.”

Secretary-General's remarks to Youth4Climate Virtual Event

“Major and rapid change is exactly what we need in the fight against climate disruption. And no group is more effective in pushing leaders to change course than you.”

Secretary-General's video message for "Finance in Common" Summit

“The decisions we make now will determine the course of the next 30 years and beyond: Emissions must fall by half by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050 to reach the 1.5C goal.”

Secretary-General's remarks at Paris Peace Forum [as prepared for delivery; scroll down for English version]

“2021 must be the year of a leap forward towards carbon neutrality.”

Secretary-General's video message to Green Horizon Summit

“All governments, cities, financial institutions and private businesses must establish their transition plans for net zero emissions by 2050 and start with concrete policies now. Together we can achieve carbon neutrality for a sustainable future.”

Secretary-General's video message for Climate Action Network: ‘World We Want' Public Mobilization Campaign

“There is much work ahead for the global community to build greater climate justice and resilience, as we strive for net-zero emissions by 2050. But I remain optimistic.”

Secretary-General's video remarks to Climate Vulnerable Forum

“All countries are threatened by climate change, but some are more vulnerable than others.”

Secretary-General's video message to Daring Cities Virtual Forum: Urban Leaders and Climate Change

“We need cities to commit to net zero emissions before 2050, and a 45 per cent reduction by 2030.”

Secretary-General's remarks to High-level Roundtable on Climate Ambition

“The climate emergency is fully upon us, and we have no time to waste. The answer to our existential crisis is swift, decisive, scaled up action and solidarity among nations.”

19th Darbari Seth Memorial Lecture "The Rise of Renewables: Shining a Light on a Sustainable Future

“As governments mobilize trillions of dollars to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, their decisions will have climate consequences for decades.”

Remarks to International Energy Agency Clean Energy Transition Summit

"It is vital that we bring sharper focus on the need to transition away from fossil fuels and toward a clean energy future."

Remarks on World Oceans Day

"We have a responsibility to correct our relationship with the oceans."

Opening remarks at virtual press briefing from UN Headquarters

"Recovery needs to go hand-in-hand with climate action."

Remarks to Petersberg Climate Dialogue

"Delayed climate action will cost us vastly more each year in terms of lost lives and livelihoods, crippled businesses and damaged economies."

Opening remarks at press conference on WMO State of the Climate 2019 Report

"We have no time to lose if we are to avert climate catastrophe."

Secretary-General António Guterres' remarks at the New School: "Women and Power"

"Gender equality, including men stepping up and taking responsibility, is essential if we are to beat the climate emergency."

Remarks on Sustainable Development and Climate Change

"The answer to the global climate crisis will come from global solidarity backed by global action."

Remarks at the 33rd African Union Summit

"Africa is the least responsible for climate disruption yet is among the first and worst to suffer."

Opening remarks to the media at the African Union Summit

"Global commitment is needed to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, including by the big emitters."

Remarks to Group of Friends on Climate

"Climate action will be both a priority and a driver of the Decade of Action"

Remarks at COP25 event on Climate Action for Jobs

"The green economy is the economy of the future and we need to make way for it right now."

Remarks at COP25 event on Climate Ambition

"We need more ambition, more solidarity and more urgency."

Remarks at High-Level Event on Caring for Climate at COP25

"Let’s make 2020 the year we put the world for a carbon-neutral future"

Press Conference with the Prime Minister of Spain

"There is still a long way to go and we are still running behind climate change."

Remarks at opening ceremony of UN Climate Change Conference COP25

"The decisions we make here will ultimately define whether we choose a path of hope, or a path of surrender..."

Pre-COP25 press conference

"Our war against nature must stop. And we know that that is possible."

Remarks at the closing of High-Level Political Dialogue of the Pacific Island Forum

"What we ask for is not solidarity, it’s not generosity, it is enlightened self-interest from all decision-makers around the world."

Remarks at the Pacific Islands Forum

"We have the blueprints, the frameworks and the plans. What we need is urgency, political will and ambition."

Opening remarks at press encounter with James Shaw, New Zealand Minister for Climate Change

"[M]ove taxes from salaries to carbon [...] subsidies for fossil fuels must end [...] stop the construction of coal power plants from 2020 onwards"

Remarks to Māori and Pasifika youth at event hosted by James Shaw, New Zealand Minister for Climate Change

"[T]he green economy is the economy of the future and the grey economy has no future"

Secretary-General's remarks at High-Level Meeting on Climate and Sustainable Development

"We have the tools to answer the questions posed by climate change, environmental pressure, poverty and inequality."

Secretary-General's remarks at the closing of the High-Level Segment of the Talanoa Dialogue, COP24

"We no longer have the luxury of time."

Secretary-General's remarks on the 2019 Climate Summit

"The Paris Agreement is not a piece of paper."

Secretary-General's remarks at the opening of the COP 24

"Science demands a significantly more ambitious response."

Remarks at High-Level Event on Climate Change

"Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is still possible and will prevent some of the worst-case scenarios."

Remarks at First General Assembly of the International Solar Alliance

"The Climate Summit will provide an opportunity for leaders and stakeholders, both public and private, to demonstrate real climate action and showcase their ambition."
"Climate change is indeed running faster than we are, and we have the risk to see irreversible damage that will not be possible to recover if we don’t act very, very quickly."

Remarks on Climate Change

"The Climate Summit will provide an opportunity for leaders and partners to demonstrate real climate action and showcase their ambition"

Remarks at launch of the New Climate Economy report

"Over 250 investors with $28 trillion dollars in managed assets have signed on to the Climate Action 100+ initiative"

Facts and figures

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Hundreds of Syrians head home as anti-refugee sentiment surges in Lebanon

A Syrian refugee carrying her child

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More than 300 Syrian refugees headed back home to Syria in a convoy on Tuesday, leaving two remote northeastern towns in crisis-stricken Lebanon where anti-refugee sentiment has been surging in recent months.

Lebanese officials have long urged the international community to either resettle the refugees in other countries or help them return to Syria. Over the last few months, leading Lebanese political parties have become increasingly vocal, demanding that Syrian refugees go back.

A country of about 6 million people, Lebanon hosts nearly 780,000 registered Syrian refugees and hundreds of thousands who are unregistered — the world’s highest refugee population per capita.

In the northeastern town of Arsal, Syrian refugees piled their belongings onto the back of trucks and cars on Tuesday as Lebanese security officers collected their U.N. refugee agency cards and other paperwork before clearing them to leave.

Syrian children play in a refugee camp near Amman, Jordan, on Monday, June 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)

World & Nation

They fled Syria’s shattering civil war. Now, Syrian refugees in Jordan fear being forced to return

As Middle East countries begin to restore relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad, many Syrian refugees who fled civil war fear they will be forced to return to their homeland.

July 20, 2023

As the trucks pulled away, the refugees waved to friends and relatives staying behind, heading to an uncertain future in Syria.

Ahmad al-Rifai, on his way to the Qalamoun Mountains after over a decade in Lebanon, said that whatever the situation was in Syria, “it’s better to live in a house than in a tent.”

Lebanese security forces this year stepped up deportations of Syrians, although nowhere near the level threatened two years ago when the Lebanese government announced a plan to deport some 15,000 Syrians every month, to what they dubbed “safe areas,” in cooperation with the government in Damascus.

Tuesday’s convoy from the mountainous towns of Arsal and Qaa consisted of only 330 refugees who had signed up for repatriation, the first such “voluntary return” organized by Lebanese security forces since late 2022.

Tom Nicholson. 11/02/2023. Kilis, Turkey. A Syrian family sits in the back of a truck at the Syrian-Turkish border, in Kilis, Turkey, following the earthquake on 6 February. Over 23,000 people across Syria and Turkey have died, whilst vast surrounding areas are also suffering severe damage to infrastructure. (Tom Nicholson / For The Times)

Syrian refugees in Turkey face harassment after quake: ‘I never felt this level of racism before’

Since last week’s earthquake, refugees of Syria’s civil war living in Turkey have faced growing anger from those who see them as a burden and blight.

Feb. 15, 2023

“Nobody can not be happy to return to their home,” Ahmad Durro told the Associated Press while waiting in his truck. “I signed up a year ago to be in the convoy.”

But many other Syrians — especially young men facing compulsory military service or political opponents of the government of President Bashar Assad — say it’s unsafe to return.

Others see no future in Syria, where in many parts the fighting may have died down but an economic crisis has pulled millions into poverty.

An increasing number of refugees in Lebanon have taken to the sea in an attempt to reach Europe.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees has said it only supports voluntary returns of Syrians based on informed consent. Yet, major human rights organizations remain skeptical of the voluntary nature of these returns amid anti-refugee hostility in Lebanon.

Members of the Lebanese armed forces watch over departing Syrian refugees at a checkpoint on the edge of the Lebanese border down of Arsal on July 23, 2018. Now that the Syrian army, backed by its allies Russia and Iran, has taken back large swathes of territory from rebels, the Lebanese security forces and their Syrian counterparts have started organizing the repatriation refugees.

For displaced Syrians, an offer to return home presents agonizing choices

Standing amid a crush of trucks and cars, Khadija Rifai watched her sons load a beat-up white minivan with crates of lettuce, tomatoes and zucchini.

Aug. 5, 2018

“Syrian refugees are targeted by both geo sources and host communities. They are subjected to violence, insults and other degrading treatment,” Amnesty International’s deputy Middle East and North Africa regional director, Aya Majzoub, told the AP, also decrying curfews and other restrictions imposed on refugees by a handful of Lebanese municipalities.

“So our assessment is that in these conditions, it is very difficult for refugees to make free and informed decisions about returning to Syria.”

Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have documented cases of refugees detained and tortured by Syrian security agencies upon their return.

The UNHCR says nine out of 10 Syrian refugees in Lebanon live in extreme poverty and need humanitarian aid to survive. That aid has declined amid donor fatigue and as international attention shifted to other crises.

Many increasingly impoverished Lebanese have accused Syrian refugees of benefiting from the aid while beating Lebanese to jobs by accepting lower pay. Lebanon’s ruling political parties and leadership claim that most Syrians living in the tiny Mediterranean country are economic migrants rather than refugees escaping the war at home, now in its 13th year. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group, a top ally of Assad, has made such an allegation.

(left to right) Ghima, 7; Mais, 15; Bader, 2; and Ghazal, 14, stand on the rooftop terrace in their family's new home in the southern Italian town of Gioiosa Ionica. The children and their parents, Mohammed Ali and Kinda Nonoo, fled Aleppo for Lebanon five years ago, and traveled to Italy in February via the "humanitarian corridors" project set up by church-affiliated organizations to bring Syrian refugees from Lebanon to Italy.

A small town in Italy was losing population. Now Syrian refugees are key to its survival

From the kitchen of their new apartment, Mohammed Ali and Kinda Nonoo watched their children run across a rooftop terrace with a view of the rolling green hills of southern Italy.

May 1, 2017

“They have dollars and they are sending those dollars to relatives in Syria,” Nasrallah said in a speech on Monday.

Lebanese security agents have in recent weeks raided shops and other businesses employing undocumented Syrian workers and shut them down.

The European Union this month announced an aid package worth 1 billion euros — about $1.06 billion — of which about 200 million euros would go to security and border control, in an apparent bid to curb migration from Lebanon to Cyprus, Italy, and other parts of Europe.

While Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, welcomed the aid, other officials described it as a bribe for tiny Lebanon to keep the refugees.

Parliament is to discuss the EU package Wednesday, with lawmakers from the entire political spectrum expected to ramp up anti-refugee sentiment and call for more refugee returns and crackdowns.

Tawil and Chehayeb write for the Associated Press. Chehayeb reported from Beirut.

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FILE - Female migrants exit the Pournara migrant reception center following fighting between rival groups inside the camp near the village of Kokkinotrimithia, on the outskirts of the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. The president of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides says on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, he has personally asked the head of the European Union's executive arm to intercede with Lebanese authorities so that they could put a stop to boat loads of Syrian refugees from heading to the east Mediterranean island nation. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias, File)

Cyprus asks EU Commission chief to get Lebanon to stop migrants from leaving its shores

April 2, 2024

CLAREMONT, CA - NOVEMBER 29: Abduljalil Barati fled Aghanistan in 2021, he was a translator for the U.S. and fled his home country immediately after the Taliban began taking over. With the help of Newcomers Access Center in Claremont he's slowly gaining financial stability by working as a manager at a gas station on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023 in Claremont, CA. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

For new refugees, finding work and housing is hard. Finding community is even harder

Dec. 23, 2023

BAR'AM, ISRAEL -- NOVEMBER 22, 2023: Shadi Khaloul and Maryam Younnes walk through old ruins of homes in an ancient Maronite village that is now a national park in Bar'am, Israel, Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. As most of Israel and the world's attention is on Gaza, and the IDF's resources are stretched thin, residents of northern Israel worry that Israel is ignoring the threat of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, setting them up to be the victims of another October 7-style massacre in the future. Most at risk are minorities, including Christians, who live in towns without adequate shelters and are often isolated and stigmatized by Israeli society. (MARCUS YAM / LOS ANGELES TIMES)

Christians living at the Lebanon border see Israel-Hamas war igniting hostilities with Hezbollah

Dec. 15, 2023

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday in an unannounced diplomatic mission to reassure Ukraine that it has American support as it struggles to defend against increasingly intense Russian attacks. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP)

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FILE - This wanted poster provided by the U.S. Marshals shows Ian Cleary, of Saratoga, Calif. U.S. marshals have been leading the two-year search for Cleary since prosecutors charged him with sexually assaulting a young woman in 2013 at Gettysburg College. Cleary, accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, “So I raped you,” has been detained in France after a three-year search. (U.S. Marshals via AP)

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    Global Warming Speech 500- 700 Words (3- 5 Minutes) 10-Line Global Warming Speech. Causes of Global Warming. Ways to Tackle Global Warming. FAQs. It means a rise in global temperature due to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities and inventions. In scientific words, Global Warming is when the earth heats (the temperature ...

  2. Global Warming Speech for Students in English

    This format of Global Warming Speech is useful for students in grades 8-12, as they can explain the meaning, causes, and effects as well as ways to prevent it in a simple language. Good Morning everyone, today I ( mention your name) will share my views on the alarming issue of Global Warming. The concern has only grown due to industrialization ...

  3. Global Warming Speech for Students and Children

    Impact of Global Warming. As the planet is getting hotter, we need to collectively act right now instead of waiting for more. The primary cause of global warming is fossil fuels. Human beings are addicted to burning them which produces coal, oil, greenhouse gases and more. The power plants, cards, and industries produce Carbon dioxide which ...

  4. Global Warming Speech

    1. Global warming is the trapping of too much heat from the sun in the earth's atmosphere. 2. Global warming will bring us disaster. 3. To control global warming, it is important to control greenhouse gas emissions. 4. Global warming is causing ocean acidification, threatening fisheries and other species. 5.

  5. Climate Change Speech in English For Students

    Download Long and Short Climate Change Speech Essay in English Free PDF from Vedantu. Earth is the only planet which has variety in weather and climate crucial for survival. But we humans are killing nature to fulfil our need and greed that causes global warming, eventually leading to climate change. Here, we have provided both long and short ...

  6. Transcript: Greta Thunberg's Speech At The U.N. Climate Action Summit

    Climate activist Greta Thunberg, 16, addressed the U.N.'s Climate Action Summit in New York City on Monday. Here's the full transcript of Thunberg's speech, beginning with her response to a ...

  7. Global Warming Speech

    10 points on writing Global Warming Speech. Global Warming is the gradual rise in Earth's temperature. The main contributors are greenhouse gases like water vapour and carbon dioxide and the burning of fossil fuels. The ozone layer will be depleted, allowing harmful sun rays to enter Earth.

  8. Climate Action: It's time to make peace with nature, UN chief urges

    The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has described the fight against the climate crisis as the top priority for the 21st Century, in a passionate, uncompromising speech delivered on Wednesday at Columbia University in New York. The landmark address marks the beginning of a month of UN-led climate action, which includes the release of ...

  9. Communicating on Climate Change

    Limiting global warming to 1.5°C, for example, can be hard for people to relate to. Frame the issue in a way that will resonate with your local audience, ...

  10. How to talk about climate change: Ask questions

    The good news is, more Americans than you might think are coming around to the reality of climate change. As the chart below shows, when survey respondents are asked to guess the percentage of Americans who believe global warming is happening, they usually underestimate the true number. The reality: 76% of American adults (93% of Democrats, 58% ...

  11. Speech on Climate Change in English

    Speech on Climate Change. Climate change is a phenomenon that refers to the warming of the planet and the associated shifts in global climate patterns. It is caused by the increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere, which trap heat from the sun and cause the planet's surface temperature to rise.

  12. UN Secretary-General landmark speech on climate action, 2 December

    UN chief António Guterres had a dire warning message for the world at Columbia University in New York on Wednesday, urging humanity to end the war against nature which has seen a collapse in biodiversity, record global warming and ocean temperature rises, and a global pandemic. But he also said there was plenty of room for hope that a new, sustainable world can emerge from the pandemic, and ...

  13. Global Warming

    Tulika Nahar was introduced to the drastic impacts of climate change at a very young age. In her talk, she outlines the ways of conveying the idea of climate change, which would compel people to take action, instead of causing them to sit still and avoid the topic. "This theme this year was "Yallah!", meaning "go" in Arabic; whether it is pushing for a change in the local community, or ...

  14. Read Greta Thunberg's full speech at the United Nations Climate Action

    Teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg spoke at the United Nations on Monday about climate change, accusing world leaders of inaction and half-measures. Here are her full remarks: My message ...

  15. Remarks by President Biden at the Virtual Leaders Summit on Climate

    The steps our countries take between now and Glasgow will set the world up for success to protect livelihoods around the world and keep global warming at a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius. We must ...

  16. Climate Changes, So Should We...

    In 2015, the Paris Agreement, which is legally binding on climate change, has been accepted by approximately 191 countries to limit global warming to below 2, if possible, to 1.5. The countries have committed to achieve this primary goal and minimise global warming. To accomplish this goal requires all parties to put forward their best efforts ...

  17. Speech

    Not only is global warming happening, it may be speeding up. The 20 warmest years on record have all come since 1995. The five warmest years have all been in this decade, the 2010s. 2016 was the ...

  18. Global warming

    Modern global warming is the result of an increase in magnitude of the so-called greenhouse effect, a warming of Earth's surface and lower atmosphere caused by the presence of water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxides, and other greenhouse gases. In 2014 the IPCC first reported that concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane, and ...

  19. Are we communicating climate change wrong? Here are five ways to

    To motivate our audience to take action, we need to avoid the "one speech for all". If you are working on climate change, and you want to share your message across different audiences, the first thing you need to consider is, who is listening or reading. Make sure you are tailoring your message for the intended audience.

  20. Speeches

    Opening remarks by Collen Kelapile, President of ECOSOC, at the briefing on the outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) "The Glasgow Climate Pact to keep global warming ...

  21. Syrians head home as anti-refugee sentiment surges in Lebanon

    But many other Syrians — especially young men facing compulsory military service or political opponents of the government of President Bashar Assad — say it's unsafe to return.

  22. A New Push to Get Community College Students to the Polls

    Underrepresented in the Electorate. Despite their potential impact as a voting group, community college students tend to vote at lower rates than their peers, according to data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement at Tufts University. For example, in 2020, 57 percent of community college students voted, compared to 66 percent of college students overall, said Adam ...