"WASHINGTON - U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said Wednesday that countries must confront not just the fossil-fuel industry, but also companies that support efforts to obstruct climate action.

The U.N. chief, a longtime critic of oil and gas companies' role in driving climate change, called the industry out for spending billions on "distorting the truth, deceiving the public, and sowing doubt" about climate change, while investing just "a measly 2.5%" of its total capital on clean energy alternatives.

He went further in a speech at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, criticizing financial institutions as well as media and public relations firms for supporting the industry's advertisements and accepting content sponsorships.

"I call on these companies to stop acting as enablers to planetary destruction," Guterres said in prepared remarks. "Stop taking on new fossil-fuel clients, from today, and set out plans to drop your existing ones.""

Valerie Volcovici reports for Reuters June 5, 2024. [2]

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"World Hits Streak Of Record Temperatures As UN Warns Of 'Climate Hell'" (Reuters) [4]

"UN Chief Wants A Tax On Profits Of Fossil Fuel Companies, Calling Them ‘Godfathers Of Climate Chaos’" (AP) [5]

"New Study Finds Earth Warming At Record Rate, But No Evidence Of Climate Change Accelerating" (AP) [6]