<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/unguterres.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/unguterres.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/unguterres.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres says climate change is humankind's greatest threat. (Lukas Schulze/Stringer/Getty Images) (Lukas Schulze/Stringer/Getty Images)

At a Glance U.N. Secretary General António Guterres called on countries to curb emissions.

Guterres said the world reached several "dire milestones in 2017."

Few countries are on track to meet Paris Accord targets.

Climate change is the greatest threat to humankind, the head of the United Nations said Thursday, noting that "a tsunami of data that should create a storm of concern."

Speaking at a press Q&A at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres called climate change “the most systemic threat to humankind” and called on world leaders to reduce their countries’ greenhouse gas emissions.

Guterres said the world reached several "dire milestones in 2017," including the economic costs of climate-related disasters that hit a record $320 billion and the atmospheric concentrations of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide, which he said are the "highest they have been in 800,000 years."



"Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose 1.4 percent, to 32.5 gigatonnes, a historic high," Guterres said. "In 2017, the hurricane season in the Caribbean was the costliest ever, un-doing decades of development in an instant."

Guterres also cited the 41 million people affected by monsoonal flooding in South Asia in 2017, the 900,000 people who have been forced from their homes in Africa because of drought, wildfires that have caused destruction across the world and the Arctic sea [ice] that "recorded its lowest winter maximum ever."

“I am beginning to wonder how many more alarm bells must go off before the world rises to the challenge,” Guterres said. “We know it can be hard to address problems perceived to be years or decades away. But climate impacts are already upon us.”

(MORE: Will Leaving Paris Climate Agreement Make U.S. Rich or Dead Broke? )

Guterres made little mention of President Donald Trump's decision to be the sole country refusing to adhere to commitments of the Paris Climate Accord. Instead, he said it likely won't make a difference in the long run, considering the efforts of individual states, local communities and private companies to adhere to the 26 percent reduction in emissions by 2025.

“Independently of the position of the administration, the U.S. might be able to meet the commitments made in Paris as a country,” Guterres said. “And, as you know, all around the world, the role of governments is less and less relevant.”

So far, the governors of 16 states and Puerto Rico have pledged to adhere to Paris agreement.

According to Climate Action Tracker, an independent scientific analysis produced by three research organizations tracking climate action since 2009, few countries are on track with the targets they agreed to when the Paris Accord was signed in 2015. The tracker says only two countries are "compatible" with the 1.5 degrees Celsius Paris Agreement target: Morocco and Gambia. Only five are on track to meet the 2 degrees Celsius target: Bhutan, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, India and the Philippines.

The United States is considered "critically insufficient" by the tracker, the lowest rank on the scale, and no country has reached the highest rank of "role model."

A summit led by Guterres is planned next year, where he is expected to urge countries for an even greater commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"What the world needs is a race to the top – with political will, innovation, financing and partnerships," Guterres said Thursday. "And I remain convinced we have what it takes to prevail."