Speaking on Monday at the UN headquarters in New York on the eve of a global climate summit meeting, António Guterres warned that the world faces “a direct existential threat” and has to react within the next two years.

"If the world doesn’t change course by 2020, we run the risk of runaway climate change", the UN Secretary General and former Portuguese prime minister said.

President De Sousa said that António Guterres reinforced the urgency in fighting climate change and underlined the responsibilities of world leaders to comply with multilateral commitments such as the Paris Agreement and called on society to participate and making this objective come true.