Subscribe
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres issued a stark warning at the BRICS Summit on July 7, 2025, calling for urgent action to confront what he described as a “moment of profound peril and possibility” for the planet.
Speaking at the session on Environment, 30th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) and global health, Guterres painted a grim picture of the multiple environmental crises affecting the world from pollution and biodiversity loss to the accelerating impacts of climate change and stressed their devastating effects on human health.
“Our environment is being attacked on all fronts: Pollution poisoning land and water. Biodiversity destroyed at an appalling rate. And of course, the climate crisis,” he said. “The impact on human health is atrocious.”
Guterres highlighted the lethal consequences of extreme heat, water contamination and land degradation, which he said were fuelling hunger and disease outbreaks. “Extreme heat kills. So does water contamination. Destroyed lands and harvests push up prices and aggravate hunger. Our changing climate inflames the spread of disease — from malaria to dengue fever,” he warned.
He called on BRICS nations to take the lead in addressing the intersection of climate and health and emphasised the vital role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in guiding international responses.
With global temperatures pushing the limits of the 2015 Paris Agreement, Guterres stressed the need for immediate and dramatic cuts to greenhouse gas emissions. “The 1.5 degree Celsius limit is on a knife’s edge. We absolutely need a dramatic reduction in emissions — starting now,” the Secretary-General said.
While acknowledging the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, he called on all countries to step up their efforts and ensure a just energy transition. “Renewables already largely match fossil fuels in global installed power capacity. And clean energy investments are racing ahead of fossil fuels,” Guterres said.
Renewables boost energy security and sovereignty, liberating countries from volatile fossil fuel markets, he added, noting that 700 million people around the world still lack access to electricity. Crucially, they do not produce the toxic air pollution that kills an estimated seven million people each year.
Guterres also urged governments to build on the outcomes of the 2022 Biodiversity COP and finalise a legally binding treaty on plastic pollution within the year. He called on countries to arrive at UNFCCC COP30 in Belém, Brazil, with new national climate plans that cover all emissions and align with the 1.5°C target.
Turning to climate finance, Guterres underscored the need for developed nations to meet their commitments, including $40 billion per year for adaptation from 2025 and $300 billion annually by 2035. He pressed for a significant scale-up to $1.3 trillion annually, financed through new and innovative sources and a credible carbon pricing system.
Reflecting on the symbolic inadequacy of pledges to the Loss and Damage Fund, Guterres underlined, “The pledging conference… resulted in a sum that corresponded to the contract salary of the best well paid basketball player in the United States. This shows that we must be serious when we talk about the Loss and Damage fund.”
The Secretary-General concluded with a call for deeper reforms in global financial institutions, stronger South-South cooperation and the expansion of models like the Just Energy Transition Partnerships. “I urge the BRICS countries to be a pillar of the world’s response in solidarity – for people, planet and prosperity.”