UN Chief on Climate Change, G20, Trade, SDGs, Yemen, & other Matters - Media Stakeout

Press encounter by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Climate Change, COP24, G20 Summit, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Trade, Yemen and other matters.
“Climate solutions represent opportunity, and technology is on our side,” said UN chief Antonio Guterres, before departing to join the G20 Summit in Argentina and then the Climate Change Summit in Poland, adding that “green business truly is good business.”
Talking to reporters in New York today, before departing for Argentina to take part in summit of the leaders of 20 most developed countries, Guterres said “our world is obviously facing a crisis of confidence. Those left behind by globalization are losing trust in governments and institutions. Inequality is pervasive and increasing, especially within nations. Trade disputes are escalating. And an undercurrent of geopolitical tensions is adding further pressure to the global economy” and underlined “It is imperative that we address the root causes and work together to promote a fair globalization.”
Guterres stressed out that the Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint for that fair globalization and he hopes the G20 leaders agree with him.
He said: “some may argue that you cannot fight climate change and have a good economy. I strongly disagree. In fact, the opposite is true. The social, economic and environmental costs of climate change dwarf the costs of acting now. Failure to act means more disasters and emergencies and air pollution that could cost the global economy as much as US$21 trillion by 2050.”
Guterres also said “Climate solutions represent opportunity, and technology is on our side. They are wise investments in an equitable, prosperous and sustainable future. Green business truly is good business.”
The UN Secretary-General reminded that “the members of the G20 are responsible for more than three-quarters of greenhouse emissions. Yet it is equally true that G20 members have the power to bend the emissions curve. They also have the resources to provide the financing needed for both mitigation and adaptation. I recall the pledge to mobilize US$100 billion a year for climate action in support of the developing world from 2020.”
Guterres said he is carrying the same message to both meetings, which is that “at a time of declining global trust, our world needs stepped-up global leadership. Strong economic growth, reduced inequality and limiting carbon emissions are possible and compatible. But we need greater ambition. We are in a race for our future. It’s a race we can and simply must win.”
According to the World Health Organization, more than 90 per cent of the world’s urban population breathes unsafe air, while the World Meteorological Organization found that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased to levels not seen in 3 million years.
At the Climate Conference, so called COP 24, taking place 2 to 14 December in Katowice, Poland the world leaders will discuss how to implement the Paris Climate Agreement from 2015 which is set to limit global warming to well below 2°C by the end of the century avoid the devastating impacts of climate change.