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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for a global fight against climate disinformation, stressing the importance of clear and accurate scientific data ahead of next month’s COP30 summit in Brazil.
Speaking at the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation in Geneva, Guterres warned that without reliable climate science, the world would never have recognised the “dangerous and existential threat” posed by global warming.
“We must fight mis- and disinformation, online harassment, and greenwashing,” he said, adding that scientists and researchers “should never fear telling the truth.”
His remarks were widely seen as a rebuttal to US President Donald Trump, who last month dismissed climate change as the “greatest con job ever” and criticised renewable energy technologies, labelling them “a joke” and claiming their promotion was part of a fraudulent agenda.
Guterres highlighted the rapid expansion of renewable energy, noting that almost all new power capacity in 2024 came from renewables, with investment surging.
“Renewables are the cheapest, fastest and smartest source of new power. They represent the only credible path to end the relentless destruction of our climate,” he said.
He also emphasised that global warming continues to push the planet “to the brink,” with the last decade recorded as the hottest in history, ocean heat reaching unprecedented levels, and extreme weather threatening ecosystems and human populations worldwide.
The UN chief underscored the disproportionate impact on the poorest and most vulnerable nations, particularly small island developing states and the least developed countries.
Ahead of the COP30 summit in Belem from November 10-21, Guterres urged governments to present bold national climate action plans, including commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade, stressing that “much greater ambition is required” to keep global temperature rises within 1.5 degrees Celsius.
