NEW YORK: Senior United Nations officials said on Friday that climate change is an unprecedented and growing threat to peace, prosperity and development and addressing it presents an economic opportunity for governments and businesses. UN Secretary-General António Guterres told a UN General Assembly high-level action event, “We are dealing with scientific facts, not politics. And the facts are clear. Climate change is a direct threat in itself, and a multiplier of many other threats.” The event aimed at invigorating political momentum on climate change, highlighting its deep links to the UN 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. While addressing the participants at the event, Guterres said, “First, climate change is an unprecedented and growing threat to peace and prosperity and to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Second, addressing climate change is a massive opportunity that we cannot afford to miss,” he said. The Paris Agreement on climate change adopted in December 2015 is unique in its universality, with every single government having signed it. The pact entered force in less than a year. To date more than 130 parties have ratified it, and the numbers are growing monthly. The countries that supported the Paris Agreement are the same that adopted the 2030 Agenda – they comprise all UN member states. The reason for this consensus is clear: all nations recognise that implementing the 2030 Agenda goes hand-in-glove with limiting global temperature rise and increasing climate resilience. Guterres said that last year was once again the hottest on record, adding that sea ice was at a historic low and sea levels at a historic high. These trends are indisputable, he stressed, explaining that consequences of climate change include food insecurity, water scarcity, poverty and displacement. Tackling climate change is a tremendous opportunity for governments and business as there is no trade-off between a healthy environment and a healthy economy. “We can have both. Green business is good business,” he said. Climate action is a necessity and can advance the attainment of sustainable development goals. “How we go about it can be the subject of scientific and political debate. But there is no question that we must act, urgently and decisively, now,” Guterres said. “And it remains the only viable way to safeguard peace, prosperity and a sustainable future.” Also addressing the event were UN General Assembly President Peter Thomson, and Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Patricia Espinosa.