The Secretary-General of the United Nations has called on world leaders to phase out oil and gas production in their economies and stop exploring for new hydrocarbons.

At a meeting of Pacific island leaders in Tonga, Antonio Guterres said: “This is a crazy situation: rising sea levels are a crisis caused entirely by humanity. A crisis that will soon reach an almost unimaginable scale, and without a lifeboat to take us to safety.”

The UN chief also said: “The reason is clear: greenhouse gases – which are mainly produced by the combustion of fossil fuels – are making our planet boil. And the sea is suffering from the heat – literally.”

To avert an apocalyptic catastrophe, Guterres called on world leaders to phase out the use of oil, gas and coal and halt further expansion of hydrocarbon exploration.

Guterres also issued a dire warning: “Without drastic emissions cuts, Pacific islands will face a further rise in sea levels of at least 15 centimetres by mid-century, and some coastal areas will experience flooding for more than 30 days a year.”

There were predictions that places like the Maldives would now be completely underwater, but these predictions have not come true. Nevertheless, the Pacific island nations are among the most vocal supporters of the UN’s global energy transition, as they are more exposed to the negative impacts of climate change due to rising sea levels.

In a phone call with G20 leaders, Guterres called on affected countries to finance the transition process, saying they are able to bear a greater financial burden than poor Pacific island states and developing countries.

He also called on world leaders to set their so-called nationally determined contributions to the transition process by next year, as agreed at the last Conference of the Parties last year.

“And the world must massively increase funding and support for vulnerable countries. We need more resources to deal with rising sea levels,” Guterres said.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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