The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, warned that the attempt by countries to sanction Russia by replacing imports of Russian gas and oil could have serious consequences in climate matters.
"Countries can become so fixated on the immediate shortage of fossil fuel supplies that they neglect or set aside policies to reduce fossil fuel use. This is madness," Guterres warned in a video address at a forum organised by The Economist, as quoted by the EFE news agency.
He said the attempt could create long-term "dependence on fossil fuels" and would fail to meet the goals set out in the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.
"This great pact sealed in 2015 seeks, among other things, to limit the rise in temperatures to 1,5 degrees compared to the average of the pre-industrial era (1850-1900), an objective that Guterres considered today to be "in intensive care," he said.
With these measures, promoted by the European Union and the West – as part of the coercive and unilateral measures imposed on Russia after the special military operations on Ukraine -; global emissions would increase by almost 14%.
“Last year alone, energy-related CO2 emissions rose by 6 percent to their highest levels ever. Emissions from coal have risen to record levels. We are sleepwalking towards climate catastrophe,” he warned.
Two weeks ago, the United States (USA) and the United Kingdom announced an immediate and total ban on imports of oil, natural gas and coal from Russia as a sanction for special military operations.
Faced with this situation, the UN Secretary General insisted that the responsibility lies above all with the G20 countries, which represent 80% of total emissions and which, among other things, continue to use coal for power generation.
