UN General Assembly
2019

The scientific evidence on climate change has long been clear, but it is no longer just a question for the future. Climate change is already here in the form of melting glaciers, large-scale forest fires and extreme weather events across the globe from the Arctic to the Amazon. Even if we were able to end all of our carbon dioxide emissions tomorrow, we would have to live for decades to come with the climate change we have already caused. We are no longer able to completely avoid the climate crisis. We also have to achieve concrete results in adapting to the inevitable, although that should not distract us from what we can do to prevent further damage. We all have to accelerate our efforts, reduce our emissions and increase our carbon sinks. We cannot afford to wait for others to move first. The climate crisis calls for leaders, not just followers.