The release of a new United Nations (UN) report encourages action to tackle both coronavirus and climate change. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres affirmed during the launch of the report that both coronavirus and climate change “require a determined response”. In the report appear strong warnings of ‘rising hunger, displacement and loss of life owing to extreme temperatures and floods around the world’. So, despite the urgency of the coronavirus crisis, the scale of the climate emergency presents a long-term threat and leaders should not be diverted away from climate action. Indeed, the annual World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Statement on the State of the Global Climate, confirms that a record-breaking year of weather extremes in 2019 contributed directly to “rising hunger, displacement and loss of life”. The economic slowdown and travel constraints that are resulting from the coronavirus outbreak are expected to lead to lower emissions this year, but experts have warned any carbon savings will likely prove short-lived as governments seek to stimulate their economies in the coming months.

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