UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for political compromises and sacrifices as the negotiations to finalize implementation guidelines for the Paris agreement near an end and "key political issues remain unresolved".
Guterres made the comment when addressing the closing of the high-level segment of the Talanoa dialogue on Wednesday at the 24th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP24, in Katowice, Poland.
He reiterated that COP24 is the most important COP since the adoption of the 2015 Paris agreement and Katowice must be a success. The conference is tasked with finalizing the implementation guidelines of the agreement, which aims to keep the average temperature rise in the world no higher than 2 C above preindustrial levels.
"I left Katowice hopeful, but uncertain," Guterres said, adding that "much remains to be done" despite some progress in the negotiations.
"The key political issues remain unresolved. This is not surprising-we recognize the complexity of this work. But we are running out of time," he added.
"Talanoa's spirit is exactly how we can achieve a successful result in these last crucial days of COP24."
Initiated by the COP23 presidency of Fiji, Talanoa is a traditional word used across the Pacific to reflect a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue. The purpose of Talanoa is to share stories, build empathy and to make wise decisions for the collective good.
"Today, Katowice is the hub of global climate action. The eyes of the world are on us, and more than 32,000 people have come here to find solutions to climate change. They are inspired, engaged and they want us to deliver. They want us to finish the job," Guterres said, warning that failing in Katowice would send a disastrous message to those who stand ready to shift to a green economy.
The secretary-general also called for supportive attitude toward the special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 C above preindustrial levels, which was published by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in October. The report highlighted a number of effects that could be avoided by limiting global warming to 1.5 C.
The IPCC report is a stark acknowledgment of what the consequences of global warming beyond 1.5 C will mean for billions of people around the world, especially those who call small island states home, he said.
"We clearly have the know-how and the ability to reach 1.5 C. We see incredible momentum from all segments of society to lower emissions and make the transition from the gray economy to the green. We have the ways. What we need is the political will to move forward. I understand some of you will need to make some tough political decisions," he added.
"This is the time for consensus. This is the time for political compromises to be reached. This means sacrifices, but it will benefit us all collectively."
Guterres said that to waste this opportunity would compromise the last best chance to stop runaway climate change and "it would not only be immoral, it would be suicidal".
As a grandfather of three young girls, Guterres said he would not be able to survive the end of the century. "The same probably applies to all of you," he said.
"I do not want my granddaughters or anybody else's to suffer the consequences of our failures. They would not forgive us if uncontrolled and spiraling climate change was our legacy to them," he said.
