The United Nations warns of the risk of climate change overshadowing the future of humanity.

Photo caption — People fetch water for daily use under the hot sun in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on June 8, 2023. Photo: AFP/TTXVN

Speaking at the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Mr. Volker Turk said that extreme weather events are wiping out crops, damaging livestock and ecosystems, making it difficult for communities to rebuild and become self-sufficient. He cited official figures, saying that in 2021, more than 828 million people worldwide suffered from hunger. However, in the context of increasingly severe climate change, the number of people falling into poverty in the future could increase by another 80 million. He pointed out that natural phenomena such as droughts, ice melt, or floods are occurring at an increasing rate and threatening the survival of humanity.

Mr. Volker Turk emphasized that addressing climate change is a human rights issue, and urged practical and urgent actions to ensure a sustainable future for future generations. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that humanity now has advanced and optimal technologies in its hands, so it is fully capable of changing the current climate change situation.

He also called for an end to subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, which is contributing to CO2 emissions rising to historic highs. Mr. Volker Turk said that the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), scheduled to take place in Dubai in November and December, must be a decisive and game-changing event in the fight against climate change.

In addition, he also warned of the risks from "greenwashing" behaviors stemming from human greed, calling for tighter control measures to detect and prevent them.

The Paris Agreement on climate change, adopted at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 21) in Paris, France, was a major breakthrough in the international community's efforts to curb global warming. The signatories agreed to work together to limit the increase in average global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. However, according to the United Nations Climate Change Panel (IPCC), on current policy trends, the temperature increase above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century is likely to be around 2.8 degrees Celsius.

The 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council runs until July 14.

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