Enviro News Asia, Bonn — UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell has issued a stark warning as a savage heatwave swept across much of Western Europe, declaring that the crisis is a direct consequence of fossil fuel pollution and a sign of far worse to come.
“Europe’s savage heatwave has the fingerprints of the climate crisis all over it – it’s the latest price to pay for fossil fuel pollution baking our planet. Schools closing, the vulnerable dying, economies sweating: this is what the climate crisis looks like in practice, and it’s just getting started,” Stiell said in a statement issued on Thursday (6/25).
He warned that extreme heat will keep worsening until humanity stops burning coal, oil, and gas at scale, with mega-droughts, floods, wildfires, and storms set to strike economies and populations harder each year. With thousands dying in a single day in some regions as temperatures soar, Stiell said stronger climate action cannot wait.
The UN climate chief pointed to a clear set of solutions: a faster shift to renewables, which are now significantly cheaper than fossil fuels, alongside forest protection and stronger climate resilience measures. He stressed that many countries need support to embrace clean energy and protect their peoples, adding: “There’s no time to lose.” (*)
