"New UN Global Climate report 'another stong wake-up call' over global warming: Guterres", 28 March, 2019

"The increasing number of natural disasters and dangers linked to climate change, highlighted in a major UN report... represents "another strong wake-up call" to the world, which must be countered by finding sustainable solutions quickly," [said] UN Secretary-General António Guterres... Guterres called on Heads of State to attend his climate action summit in New York on 23 September... “Don’t come with a speech, come with a plan...A growing number of governments, cities and businesses…already understand that climate solutions can strengthen our economies, improve air quality and public health and protect our environment.” [But] much more radical steps must be taken... [Guterres said] “this means ending subsidies for fossil fuels and high-emitting, unsustainable agriculture, and shifting towards renewable energy, electric vehicles and climate-smart practices... carbon pricing that reflects the true cost of emissions...[and] accelerating the closure of coal plants, halting plans for new ones, and replacing those jobs with healthier alternatives, so the transformation is just, inclusive and profitable.” President of the General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, said...  the report “makes an important contribution to our combined international action to focus attention on this very critical problem.”... WMO said that the temperature rise last year, came despite the agreement by the international community in December 2015 in Paris... carbon dioxide levels were at 357 parts per million (ppm) in 1994, rising to 405.5 ppm in 2017... [On 28 March] the General Assembly held a High-Level meeting on climate change and sustainable development, including panel discussions on synergies between the two, and how the two agendas can be brought together in terms of concrete action... "We all can reduce our carbon footprint everyday: in terms of the food we consume, the clothes we use, the transport we choose and the garbage we generate”, said Ms. Espinosa.