U.N. chief urges countries to 'get it right' on climate change by 2021

Protestors marched to call attention to democracy and climate change awareness in Washington, D.C., earlier this month. File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 16 (UPI) -- The United Nations chief said Monday that 2021 could be the year countries 'get it right' on climate change by adopting plans to reach carbon neutrality.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made the statement to leaders in government, business, technology and academia gathered at the third annual virtual Bloomberg New Economy Forum.

"2021 must be the year of a great leap toward carbon neutrality," Guterres said. "Every country, city, financial institution and company should adopt plans for transitioning to net zero emissions by 2050."

Guterres added countries could address climate change amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are all rightly focused on responding to the pandemic. But as we strive to overcome one crisis, we have an opening to address another," Guterres said. "The pandemic has shown that we can think big and act big in the face of an emergency. We have crucial decisions to make in the weeks and months ahead. Let's get it right."

Recently, the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea and over 110 other countries pledged to reach the 2050 carbon neutrality goal, and China pledged to reach the same goal by 2060, Guterres reported.

"By early 2021, countries representing more than 65% of global carbon dioxide emissions and more than 70% of the world economy are very likely to have made ambitious commitments to carbon neutrality," Guterres said.