UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in Lisbon today that the world "runs the risk of losing the race," in the face of accelerating climate change and that there is a "lack of sufficient ambition" to achieve international CO2 reduction goals."Climate change is the greatest collective threat on the planet and continues to move faster than we do," said António Guterres, speaking at the University of Lisbon and addressing Portugal's pro-oil Prime Minister, António Costa, sat in the audience.
Guterres stressed the need for a collective and "increased ambition" commitment to the implementation of international agreements on climate change.
Recalling that some international decision-makers still do not believe in the effects of climate change, Guterres pointed out that there is still "insufficient ambition to implement the Paris Agreements and to assume that these commitments are not enough."
The UN secretary-general recalled some of the consequences of global warming, mentioning, among other things, the drought scenario in Portugal, and stressed that "we must do everything to reverse this acceleration."
Guterres was awarded an honorary doctorate in a presentation in front of the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the Prime Minister, António Costa, several ministers, the Lisbon mayor and members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Portugal.
The Instituto Superior Técnico was attended by the young António Guterres, who "had an exceptional academic career" and graduated in electrical engineering in 1971.
Guterres was an MP for 17 years from 1976, and was prime minister of Portugal between 1995 and 2002. Since January 1, 2017, Guterres has been Secretary-General of the United Nations.
António Costa may have felt rather awkward. His dedication in enabling oil companies pursue their exploration and extraction rights in Portuguese waters and on land, is totally at odds with a general, if slow, move from hydrocarbon fuel systems to those that rely on renewable energy technologies, for which Portugal is ideally placed.
Such is the government zeal to promote its pro-oil agenda, suspicions are widespread that those in charge of the licensing process have been 'persuaded' by oil companies to sign licences, even though these clearly are not in the public interest and oppose the carefully crafted appeal of the south of the country as a tourist area, now producing close to half the nation's tourism revenue.
