Combat climate change by taxing carbon instead of salaries, UN chief urges | The Independent
'Tax pollution, not people,' secretary-general tells world leaders Governments around the world should tax carbon emissions instead of peoples salaries to limit the damage caused by climate change , the UN secretary-general has said. Plans for new coal plants must be scrapped and the closure of existing fossil-fuel facilities accelerated if global warming is to halted, Antonio Guterres said on his first visit to the Pacific region on the frontline of the climate emergency. Speaking in Suava, the capital of Fiji , he told the leaders of Pacific island nations they had a unique moral authority to speak out and demand more urgent action from governments around the globe. Mr Guterres will also this week visit the countries of Tuvalu , a tiny archipelago at risk of being swallowed up by rising sea levels, and Vanuatu , which is vulnerable to natural disasters. He told the Pacific Islands Forum, comprised of officials from 18 nations and territories, he was here to see the regions climate pressures first-hand and to learn about the work being undertaken by communities here. AFP/Getty Getty/iStock AFP/Gett Getty H Goehlich Getty/Lumix Getty/iStock AFP/Getty AFP/Getty Nature Seychelles AFP/Getty C Reveret AFP/Getty Getty/Tourism Queensland AFP/Getty AFP/Getty AFP/Getty Getty/Lumix AFP/Getty Sarah Frias-Torres AFP/Getty AFP/Getty AFP/Getty AFP/Getty AFP/Getty Your commitment to adaptation, your need to develop adaptation, requires stronger international support, as climate change is running faster than our efforts to address it, he said. Here in the Pacific, sea-level rise in some countries is four times greater than the global average and is an existential threat to some island states. The secretary-general added: My messages to governments around the world from the Pacific are clear. First, shift taxes from salaries to carbon. Tax pollution, not people. Second, stop subsidising fossil fuels. Taxpayer money should not be used to boost hurricanes, spread drought and heatwaves, melt glaciers, and bleach corals. Third, stop building new coal plants by 2020. We need a green economy, not a grey economy. Pacific island leaders told Mr Guterres they were running out of time and faced an unprecedented global catastrophe. They urged him to share their urgent call for action to limit global warming to below 1.5C. All countries, with no caveats, must agree to take decisive and transformative action to reduce global emissions, and ensure at scale mitigation and adaption support for those countries that need it, said a statement from the Pacific Islands Forum. If we do not, we will lose. We will lose our homes, our ways of life, our well-being and our livelihoods. We know this because we are experiencing loss already. Most low-lying atolls are likely to became unhabitable within decades unless climate change is halted, scientists have warned . Thousands of islands are likely to be suffer frequent flooding, a lack of fresh water, and infrastructure damage as sea levels rise. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Log in New to The Independent? Or if you would prefer: Want an ad-free experience? Hi {{indy.fullName}}