(MENAFN) According to reports, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Saturday that Africa will suffer a “deadly price” from climate change, despite contributing “very little” to global emissions.

Speaking at the G20 leaders’ summit in Johannesburg, Guterres said the world has already “failed” to keep warming within the 1.5°C (2.7°F) limit, making a temporary overshoot unavoidable. He stressed that efforts are needed to keep the overshoot “as small, short and safe as possible.”

“In any case, there will be dire consequences, more and worse, heat waves, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and hunger,” he said.

Guterres called on G20 nations to lead and support initiatives to build a resilient world for both people and the planet. He emphasized that avoiding further “climate chaos” requires closing the adaptation gap as a core element of climate justice. He urged countries to honor commitments, starting with doubling adaptation finance this year and aiming to triple it by 2030 with assistance from multilateral development banks.

He also called for protecting the COP29 Baku finance targets, fully utilizing the loss and damage fund, establishing global early-warning systems by 2027, investing in resilient food systems, sharply reducing emissions this decade, and accelerating the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Highlighting progress, he noted that 90% of new power capacity installed last year came from renewables.

Guterres stressed that renewables are now the cheapest source of new electricity in nearly every country, but ensuring developing nations benefit requires financing and technology support for grids, storage, efficiency, and assistance for workers and communities affected by the transition.

“All of these require massive investment, debt relief, greater access to concessional finance, reform of the global financial system, all to give developing countries representation that reflects the realities of today's global economy,” he said.

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