United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged university graduates not to work for “climate wreckers” during an address at a Seton Hall University convocation in New Jersey earlier this week.
In a commencement address to thousands of students, Guterres told the grads they must not to seek careers with companies that “drive the extraction of fossil fuels”—from the industry heavies themselves to the financial institutions that bankroll their business, reports the Guardian.
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“You must be the generation that succeeds in addressing the planetary emergency of climate change,” he said. “No amount of greenwashing or spin” can alter the reality that fossil fuel investment is “a dead end,” he added, and “accountability is coming for those who liquidate our future.”
Guterres reminded the grads that “you hold the cards. Your talent is in demand from multinational companies and big financial institutions. You will have plenty of opportunities to choose from. My message to you is simple: don’t work for climate wreckers. Use your talents to drive us towards a renewable future.”
Earlier this year, Guterres attacked the hypocrisy of companies and governments after a study concluded that their climate claims amount to greenwashing.
“Simply put, they are lying and the results will be catastrophic,” he said. “Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness.”
