Tuesday, March 22, 2022 U.N. Chief Warns of 'Catastrophe' With Continued Use of Fossil Fuels Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, said instead of replacing Russian oil, gas and coal, nations must pivot to clean energy. By Lisa Friedman March 21, 2022 WASHINGTON — Countries are "sleepwalking to climate catastrophe" if they continue to rely on fossil fuels, and nations racing to replace Russian oil, gas and coal with their own dirty energy are making matters worse, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres warned on Monday. The ambitious promises world leaders made last year at a climate summit in Glasgow were "naïve optimism," Mr. Guterres said. Nations are nowhere near the goal of limiting the average global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. That’s the threshold beyond which scientists say the likelihood of catastrophic impacts increases significantly. The planet has already warmed an average of 1.1 degrees Celsius. And the pollution that is dangerously heating the planet is continuing to increase. Global emissions are set to rise by 14 percent in the 2020s, and emissions from coal continue to surge, he said. Yes, There Has Been Progress on Climate. No, It’s Not Nearly Enough. Nations have started making progress on climate change. But we’re still on track for dangerous warming unless those efforts accelerate drastically. "The 1.5 degree goal is on life support. It is in intensive care," Mr. Guterres said in remarks delivered to a summit The Economist is hosting on sustainability via video address. "We are sleepwalking to climate catastrophe," he said. "If we continue with more of the same, we can kiss 1.5 goodbye. Even 2 degrees may be out of reach. And that would be catastrophe." Mr. Guterres’s speech comes as the European Union is trying to find ways to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and gas, and countries like the United States are scrambling to increase fossil fuel production to stabilize energy markets. President Biden and European leaders have said that the short-term needs will not upend their longer-term vision of shifting to wind, solar and other renewable sources that do not produce dangerous greenhouse gas emissions. Climate Forward There’s an ongoing crisis — and tons of news. Our newsletter keeps you up to date. Get it sent to your inbox. But the U.N. secretary general said he fears that strategy endangers the goal of rapid reduction of fossil fuel burning. Keeping the planet at safe levels means slashing emissions worldwide 45 percent by 2050, scientists have said. In Glasgow in November world leaders promised to stave off climate change and, for the first time, planned to "phase down" coal — the dirtiest fossil fuel. Leaders from 100 countries also pledged to stop deforestation by 2030, a move considered vital since trees absorb carbon dioxide. The United States, Europe and about 100 other nations also said they would cut methane emissions 30 percent by 2030, Methane is a potent greenhouse gas produced from oil and gas operations.