国际英语资讯:UN chief sees change in momentum of climate action thanks to youth movement_时事

国际英语资讯:UN chief sees change in momentum of climate action thanks to youth movement

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 21 -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday said he saw a change in the momentum of global climate action thanks to the ongoing youth movement.

"When I started two years and something ago (as UN secretary-general), I must say I felt very, very discouraged in relation to the prospects of climate action. ... All of a sudden, I started to feel that there was momentum that was gaining," said Guterres in an interaction with young climate activists at the first-ever Youth Climate Summit.

"This (change) was largely due to the youth movement that started a fantastic, very dynamic impulse around the world, moving progressively with them, their families, their communities, their societies, and based on the societies moving, and the voice of the societies being heard, starting to have an impact on the way businesses were acting, on the way cities were acting, and on the way regions were acting."

国际英语资讯:UN chief sees change in momentum of climate action thanks to youth movement1

"Finally, we are starting to see electorates being active on these and governments starting to respond," he said.

Guterres asked young climate activists to keep on their work and to maintain the pressure for world leaders to act.

"I encourage you to go on, I encourage you to keep your initiative, keep your mobilization, and more and more to hold my generation accountable. My generation has largely failed until now to preserve both justice in the world and to preserve the planet."