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The era of Corporate Pride is over

The era of Corporate Pride is over

Yahoo03-04-2025
This is going to be a "strange" year for Pride, Kevin Kilbride says, given everything that's going on. About one-third of New York City Pride's corporate partners are still holding back their sponsorship dollars this year, with just a couple of months to go before the event, explains Kilbride, who handles media and marketing for the organization. "That is unusual," he says. "We've seen folks moving a little bit more cautiously, what they would say is strategically."
Some sponsors have expressed political concerns, pointing to the White House's antagonistic stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion and the current climate more broadly. Others are gesturing at tariffs or general economic instability as the cause for their hesitation in committing big money, which organizers have to take at face value, even if it's hard to imagine the politics aren't part of the calculation. Case in point: Kilbride says that a "pretty significant" corporate sponsor has asked to be a silent partner of this year's New York Pride, though it hasn't scaled back its funding.
"Our businesses have long been a leader in trying to support this community and push this movement forward and more into the spotlight," Kilbride said. "And it's unfortunate that that not across the board seems to be shared by all of the former partners."
LGBTQ+ Pride month is close on the horizon, in June, and organizers of events, marches, and celebrations across the country are in the final stages of securing funding and sponsorships. In contrast to years past, when, if anything, the complaint was that Pride had become too corporate, planners are encountering a much different, colder scenario. This year, businesses are anxious about their involvement. While some are sticking to it, others are scaling back donations or declining to participate entirely. They're scared of the Trump administration's anti-DEI stance and threats of retribution. They're worried about the potential social media backlash. And they're reacting accordingly.
"There's a variety of responses. One is there is obviously retreat," said Bob Witeck, a communications strategist focused on the LGBT business community. "A number of companies have made the decision that this is a fraught environment in which to take part."
San Francisco Pride has had several big sponsors back away this year, including Anheuser-Busch, Comcast, Diageo, and Nissan. It may be on track for a $200,000 shortfall in its anticipated $4.1 million budget. Suzanne Ford, the executive director of San Francisco Pride, said the companies backing away have been wishy-washy about why.
"Obviously, the Trump administration and the war on diversity, equity, and inclusion, I think, has affected some corporations' decisions about who they sponsor," she said. "Some corporations are hedging their bets, not trying to inflame one side or the other and trying to just stay out of the fray."
The public attention on the dropouts has helped inspire other sponsors to jump in and fill the gap, Ford said, including Levi's, which is returning after a three-year hiatus, Benefit Cosmetics, and La Crema wines. As news about withdrawals trickled out, San Francisco Pride also brought in $30,000 in donations from individuals last month, and organizers believe some companies could still make donations even if they choose not to officially sponsor. Pride is a boon for San Francisco: A 2015 economic impact study found it injected $350 million into the local economy every year, thanks to more than half a million visitors attending the two-day celebration. Ten years later, Ford thinks that number could be $1 billion as crowds have continued to grow.
"Pride, over its history, has faced difficult times, and we've always found a way, and we'll find a way now," she said.
A Diageo spokesperson said that Diageo plans to participate in events around Pride in San Francisco, such as offering promotions at bars through its Smirnoff brand. Comcast, Anheuser-Busch, and Nissan did not respond to requests for comment.
Ryan Bos, the executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance in Washington, DC, said a number of sponsors have dropped out of this year's event, including Booz Allen Hamilton, a consulting firm and major federal contractor that could, in theory, find itself in the crosshairs of some of Trump's DEI-related executive actions.
"As you can imagine, being in the nation's capital, a lot of advocates we work with either have federal contracts or definitely receive federal funding," he said.
In an email, a Booz Allen spokesperson said the company is committed to supporting all of its employee communities and celebrating tribute months. They said the decision not to be a headline sponsor this year "does not reflect any pullback of support to this community."
I think there is a level of fear.
Denver Pride has seen a decrease in funding for its events, which include a festival, parade, and 5K race. Natalie Zanoni, the organization's interim CEO, said in an email that among those who sponsored Denver's 2024 Pride and are coming back this year, average contributions have decreased by 62%. Other sponsors aren't coming back at all. She noted that Denver's Pride is unique in that it doubles as an annual fundraiser for Denver's local LGBTQ+ community center, The Center on Colfax, meaning the decline in sponsorship money will affect more than the size of parade floats. "The decrease in funding we are experiencing puts these critical services at risk, such as mental health support, programming for our trans and gender diverse community, youth, older adults, and more," she said. While they are "disappointed" by the situation, the group doesn't want to call out specific funders. "We also recognize that these decisions do not reflect the views and opinions of everyone within the organizations in question," Zazoni said.
Kojo Modeste, the executive director of Pride Toronto, said that Nissan Canada is the only company that's publicly announced its exit from the city's event. The company said in an email that it was a "local decision solely due to a reevaluation" of its marketing and media activations in a "variety of activities." However, Modeste said "quite a few" other sponsors have quietly pulled out. Many of the corporations haven't provided a detailed justification, though most are based in the US, which, given the current economic headbutting between the two countries, adds another element. "It sends a message without sending the message, without them telling us exactly that they're pulling out for these reasons," Modeste said. "I think there is a level of fear."
Some smaller Canadian sponsors are trying to step in to help fill the gap, which Modeste is grateful for, but their generosity will still leave the organizers with a shortfall. "The cost of doing the festival year after year keeps going up," Modeste said. "Even if we were to gain back 50% of that loss, it is not going to cover that big gap that is left."
We're really back to, in a sense, what Pride was originally intended to be.
It's not just the large Pride events that are seeing pullbacks. Jessica Laney, the president of Pikes Peak Pride in Colorado Springs, said the event has never really had large corporate sponsors. It's generally relied on grassroots support and smaller entities, but they've scaled back this year, too. Pikes Peak is seeing fewer sponsors at their $5,000 and $10,000 tiers, which represent some of their highest levels of giving. Government grants have dried up, too. "Those are pretty much gone now," Laney said. On the more encouraging side, they've had an uptick in smaller contributors, say, at the $1,000 level. "It's kind of like a change off," she said.
Pikes Peak Pride is still below where it was last year in terms of sponsorship dollars, but the group hopes more money will come in. It's being more proactive about outreach and doubling the number of fundraisers it hosts.
Alexander Clark, the board president of 406 Pride, which hosts Billings Pride Fest in Montana, said they've had some new sponsors jump in, including a large local hotel chain, and as of now, one of its five major sponsors is returning — and increasing its donation. As for the other four major donors, Clark said the organizers are taking a cautiously optimistic approach. "As we're approaching some of the bigger sponsors, though, we're expecting to get some pushback, because some of the companies that have participated in the past may not have that same DEI focus," he said.
406 Pride is what Clark admits is a "unique" organization and location, given that it's in a deep-red county in a deep-red state.
"Folks seem to have a 'keep to their own' mentality," he said. If they're part of the queer community, they'll come out, but if not, they "don't really bother with us."
That means in terms of sponsors, it's always been a more thoughtful decision to participate. This year, Clark is hoping partners will come back and then some, because organizers are taking a number of new — and more expensive — safety measures. They're installing concrete barriers instead of wooden ones and are hiring a security firm to back up local police. "I'm not taking any chances this year," he said.
These decisions to scale back Pride support aren't happening in a vacuum — they're taking place in a context when many corporations are afraid to engage in anything that might appear DEI-esque.
The White House has pledged to root out what it's characterized as "illegal DEI" from the federal government, government contractors, and, where possible, private companies and is seeking to make examples out of specific entities it believes have gone too far. Some conservative social media influencers are on the hunt for targets to rile up their followers about. Businesses don't want to be caught up in whatever the controversy of the day is, or the one that pops up tomorrow, or the day after that. This has led a number of major companies to scale back their DEI practices. Some have eliminated or overhauled programs aimed at underrepresented consumers, vendors, and employees, including the LGBTQ+ community, and have scrubbed mention of certain diversity-related terms from their websites, financial filings, and other documentation. Take Target: It faced blowback last year over its Pride merchandise collection and wound up scaling it back, even though the collection wasn't markedly different from anything it had done in previous years.
"If you and I were talking five years ago, the bigger issue was corporate exploitation," Witeck said. "So we're really back to, in a sense, what Pride was originally intended to be. It was sort of a civil rights activation."
He added that some companies, instead of sponsoring celebrations or parades, are donating to community causes instead. "In some respects, that's a positive move," he said.
Fabrice Houdart, a human rights advocate who focuses on LGBTQ+ rights and corporate social responsibility, pointed out that the Trump administration has not targeted Pride, including this year's World Pride, which will happen in Washington, DC. In Houdart's mind, companies may just be taking advantage of the opportunity to walk away from initiatives they were never really that attached to in the first place.
"Right now, the wind is not very pro-LGBT and therefore they're thinking, 'Well, I'm just going to throw out the baby with the bathwater and run away from that community as quickly as I can,'" he said. "In many ways, what it shows is that there was some amateurism in the way the company expressed their values."
It's very, very hard to make that happen without corporate support.
All of the Pride organizers I spoke to expressed disappointment about former sponsors' handling of this year's events. Parades, festivals, and other gatherings cost money to put together, and less money may mean they could need to scale back their plans, though, in certain areas, such as security, medical services, and insurance, there's no compromising.
"People are getting the message that Pride is fragile. It always has been and always be," Ford said.
Historically, some corporations have been ahead of the curve on LGBTQ+ rights — General Motors, for example, extended marriage benefits to same-sex couples before same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide. Organizers also said they were starting to look for more grassroots, individual support going forward so that they won't be so reliant on big business and whatever cultural and political tides they're reacting to.
"You've got a free event that we're trying to make as accessible to as many people as we can. It's very, very hard to make that happen without corporate support," Kilbride said. "It's still, I think, going to end up being on the queer community. In my opinion, we are our own sponsors during Pride Month, so I think that's kind of what the future is headed towards."
In the meantime, New York City Pride is planning to get fundraising for this year wrapped by the beginning of May. Some of the attention on sponsors dropping out is bringing some of them back to the table, and there's hope additional visibility could inspire other companies to step up — corporate anxiety works both ways.
Emily Stewart is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.
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Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures rise on US-Japan deal hopes, with Tesla and Google on deck
Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures rise on US-Japan deal hopes, with Tesla and Google on deck

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Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures rise on US-Japan deal hopes, with Tesla and Google on deck

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The solar equipment maker said Trump's import tariffs had hit its gross margin, after the US in April finalized steep duties on solar cells from Southeast Asia. At the same time, Enphase faces the fallout from Trump's cuts to tax incentives in the renewable energy sector. It said it expects the US residential solar market to shrink 20% next year as tax credits for homeowners end under Trump's sweeping budget legislation. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Trending tickers: Krispy Kreme, GoPro and Constellation Energy Corporation Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Krispy Kreme (DNUT)`stock rose 22% before the bell boosted by their names trending on social media a day after retail traders snapped up Kohl's (KSS) shares. Camera maker GoPro (GPRO) shares rose 43%, per Reuters short interest in the stock recently stood at 7.7%. Investor interest in heavily shorted stocks has grown after Kohl's jumped 38% on Tuesday amid heavy retail buying. Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG) stock rose 4% premarket after PJM Interconnection released results from its 2026-2027 capacity auction. The grid operator set record prices at $329.17 per megawatt-day, raising total capacity costs to $16.1 billion from $14.7 billion last year. Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: Krispy Kreme (DNUT)`stock rose 22% before the bell boosted by their names trending on social media a day after retail traders snapped up Kohl's (KSS) shares. Camera maker GoPro (GPRO) shares rose 43%, per Reuters short interest in the stock recently stood at 7.7%. Investor interest in heavily shorted stocks has grown after Kohl's jumped 38% on Tuesday amid heavy retail buying. Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG) stock rose 4% premarket after PJM Interconnection released results from its 2026-2027 capacity auction. The grid operator set record prices at $329.17 per megawatt-day, raising total capacity costs to $16.1 billion from $14.7 billion last year. Tesla Q2 earnings preview: 3 things to watch Tesla (TSLA) is slated to report second quarter earnings on Wednesday against an uncertain backdrop for its core auto business and robotaxi rollout. Tesla stock pared some of its losses earlier in the year, as tariffs and a volatile relationship between CEO Elon Musk and President Trump weighed on the company. But the stock is still down about 17% year to date. Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian previews three key areas to watch when the EV maker reports: Read more here. Tesla (TSLA) is slated to report second quarter earnings on Wednesday against an uncertain backdrop for its core auto business and robotaxi rollout. Tesla stock pared some of its losses earlier in the year, as tariffs and a volatile relationship between CEO Elon Musk and President Trump weighed on the company. But the stock is still down about 17% year to date. Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian previews three key areas to watch when the EV maker reports: Read more here. Meme stocks are on the move again The return of meme stock mania doesn't appear like it will end on Wednesday. Some of the highest-trending ticker pages on Yahoo Finance this morning are meme crowd favorites Kohl's (KSS), Rocket (RKT), and Krispy Kreme (DNUT). As of 6 a.m. ET, Rocket and Krispy Kreme are each up double-digit percentages in premarket. "The phenomenon of meme stocks isn't going away. I feel like the genie's out of the bottle. And it's just become a way for a certain subset of everyday investors to trade, and that's completely fine," Ritholtz Wealth Management strategist Callie Cox said on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid (watch below). Makes sense! The return of meme stock mania doesn't appear like it will end on Wednesday. Some of the highest-trending ticker pages on Yahoo Finance this morning are meme crowd favorites Kohl's (KSS), Rocket (RKT), and Krispy Kreme (DNUT). As of 6 a.m. ET, Rocket and Krispy Kreme are each up double-digit percentages in premarket. "The phenomenon of meme stocks isn't going away. I feel like the genie's out of the bottle. And it's just become a way for a certain subset of everyday investors to trade, and that's completely fine," Ritholtz Wealth Management strategist Callie Cox said on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid (watch below). Makes sense! Texas Instruments stock plunges as guidance disappoints Given how hard the stock market has rallied, any company reporting guidance that is perceived as subpar will get punished. A good example of that will play out with Texas Instruments (TXN) in today's session. The stock is getting pounded premarket, down 12% after third quarter guidance on earnings per share that was 14 cents below consensus on the low end. TXN blamed weak demand in the auto market (heard the same in GM's (GM) outlook on Tuesday). Executives at the key chipmaker for producers of cars and factory equipment said they didn't know how much of the second quarter's jump in revenue was down to customers trying to get ahead of tariffs, per Reuters. Whatever the case, TXN's outlook is putting pressure on similar names in the space: Microchip (MCHP), Analog Devices (ADI), NXP Semiconductors (NXPI), and On Semi (ON). Given how hard the stock market has rallied, any company reporting guidance that is perceived as subpar will get punished. A good example of that will play out with Texas Instruments (TXN) in today's session. The stock is getting pounded premarket, down 12% after third quarter guidance on earnings per share that was 14 cents below consensus on the low end. TXN blamed weak demand in the auto market (heard the same in GM's (GM) outlook on Tuesday). Executives at the key chipmaker for producers of cars and factory equipment said they didn't know how much of the second quarter's jump in revenue was down to customers trying to get ahead of tariffs, per Reuters. Whatever the case, TXN's outlook is putting pressure on similar names in the space: Microchip (MCHP), Analog Devices (ADI), NXP Semiconductors (NXPI), and On Semi (ON). Japanese auto stocks surge as US announces lower-than-expected tariffs Shares of Japanese automakers pumped after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan, lowering the previously discussed 25% auto tariffs on Japanese vehicles to 15%. Honda (HMC) surged 9.8%, Toyota (TM) jumped 13.9%, Nissan (7222.T) gained over 5%, and Mazda (7261.T) soared 17.7%. Mitsubishi Motors (7211.T) rose over 12%. According to Japan's NHK, the revised tariff structure includes a 12.5% cut plus a 2.5% 'Most Favored Nation' base rate. The move comes as Japanese auto exports to the US have suffered, plunging 26.7% in June. Trump hailed the deal as the 'largest Deal ever,' claiming Japan would invest $550 billion in the US and allow greater access to its markets, including for American autos, trucks, and agricultural goods. Shares of Japanese automakers pumped after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan, lowering the previously discussed 25% auto tariffs on Japanese vehicles to 15%. Honda (HMC) surged 9.8%, Toyota (TM) jumped 13.9%, Nissan (7222.T) gained over 5%, and Mazda (7261.T) soared 17.7%. Mitsubishi Motors (7211.T) rose over 12%. According to Japan's NHK, the revised tariff structure includes a 12.5% cut plus a 2.5% 'Most Favored Nation' base rate. The move comes as Japanese auto exports to the US have suffered, plunging 26.7% in June. Trump hailed the deal as the 'largest Deal ever,' claiming Japan would invest $550 billion in the US and allow greater access to its markets, including for American autos, trucks, and agricultural goods. Trending tickers in after-hours trading Texas Instruments, Inc. (TXN) Texas Instruments, a leading chipmaker with the broadest product list in the field, saw its share value drop over 11.6% in after-hours trading. The stock has seen 46% gains in the year to date following a boom in purchases with each wave of tariff announcements. The rapid cooling-off occurred when the executive team announced they were unaware how much of the increase in revenue had been dependent on consumers attempting to circumvent the hike in prices from Trump's tariffs. Enphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH) Solar equipment provider Enphase Energy saw a drop of over 7.2% in the company's stock value in extended trading. With 5% of the market share in the solar equipment field Enphase acts as an early indicator for the impact that Trump's removal of tax credits will have upon the industry. Enphase are pointing towards a 20% drop in the residential market. Read more here. Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) Shares in semiconductor maker Analog Devices saw a drop of over 4.1% after-hours, erasing gains from the month so far. The company specializes in chips that convert real world input into electrical signals, processing sound, light, temperature, pressure and motion. Investors have been eyeing ADI's earnings reports, still not due for another month. Texas Instruments, Inc. (TXN) Texas Instruments, a leading chipmaker with the broadest product list in the field, saw its share value drop over 11.6% in after-hours trading. The stock has seen 46% gains in the year to date following a boom in purchases with each wave of tariff announcements. The rapid cooling-off occurred when the executive team announced they were unaware how much of the increase in revenue had been dependent on consumers attempting to circumvent the hike in prices from Trump's tariffs. Enphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH) Solar equipment provider Enphase Energy saw a drop of over 7.2% in the company's stock value in extended trading. With 5% of the market share in the solar equipment field Enphase acts as an early indicator for the impact that Trump's removal of tax credits will have upon the industry. Enphase are pointing towards a 20% drop in the residential market. Read more here. Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) Shares in semiconductor maker Analog Devices saw a drop of over 4.1% after-hours, erasing gains from the month so far. The company specializes in chips that convert real world input into electrical signals, processing sound, light, temperature, pressure and motion. Investors have been eyeing ADI's earnings reports, still not due for another month. 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Enphase Sees 20% Drop in Home Solar Market on Subsidy Loss
Enphase Sees 20% Drop in Home Solar Market on Subsidy Loss

Yahoo

timea minute ago

  • Yahoo

Enphase Sees 20% Drop in Home Solar Market on Subsidy Loss

(Bloomberg) -- Enphase Energy Inc., a major US solar equipment company, sees the nation's residential market shrinking 20% next year as tax credits for homeowners end under President Donald Trump's sweeping economic legislation. Trump Awards $1.26 Billion Contract to Build Biggest Immigrant Detention Center in US Why the Federal Reserve's Building Renovation Costs $2.5 Billion Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom Milan Corruption Probe Casts Shadow Over Property Boom How San Jose's Mayor Is Working to Build an AI Capital While some analysts have predicted even steeper declines, the estimate from Enphase marks one of the first big projections from an industry player since Trump's spending bill was passed. The company is among the first US solar companies to report earnings this quarter. Enphase's shares were down more than 4% in pre-market trading Wednesday. Chief Executive Officer Badri Kothandaraman warned Tuesday that residents who want to install solar and home batteries will have to move toward financing the systems with third-party leases, which will still qualify for tax incentives next year. 'I expect the lease market to be increasing a little bit and the cash and loan market to decrease by a lot' next year, he said during the company's second-quarter earnings call. The yanking of federal government support is hitting the industry after home solar installers had already been facing headwinds, including persistently high interest rates that have made it more expensive for residents to buy panels. Two major home solar financiers have filed for bankruptcy so far this year. Trump's new tax-and-spending law passed earlier this month will eliminate tax incentives for residential solar purchases by year end. However, companies that lease panels can claim the incentive through 2027. Analysts at BloombergNEF expect residential solar installations to increase about 13% this year compared with last year as homeowners rush to take advantage of expiring tax credits. However, BNEF sees the market shrinking by 35% in 2026. To adjust, Enphase will pivot toward working with more leasing companies as well as focus on reducing customer acquisition and installation costs, Kothandaraman said. Enphase shares fell about 7% in after-market trading after the company forecast third-quarter revenue that missed analyst estimates. (Updates with shares in the third paragraph) Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border Thailand's Changing Cannabis Rules Leave Farmers in a Tough Spot How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

For hope on climate change, UN chief is putting his faith in market forces
For hope on climate change, UN chief is putting his faith in market forces

San Francisco Chronicle​

time3 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

For hope on climate change, UN chief is putting his faith in market forces

NEW YORK (AP) — For nearly a decade United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been using science to warn about evermore dangerous climate change in increasingly urgent tones. Now he's enlisting something seemingly more important to the world's powerful: Money. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Guterres hailed the power of market forces in what he repeatedly called 'a battle' to save the planet. He pointed to two new UN reports showing the plummeting cost of solar and wind power and the growing generation and capacity of those green energy sources. He warned those who cling to fossil fuels that they could go broke doing it. 'Science and the economy show the way,' Guterres said in a 20-minute interview in his 38th-floor conference room overlooking the New York skyline. 'What we need is the political will to take the decisions that are necessary in regulatory frameworks, in financial aspects, in other policy dimensions. Governments need to take decisions not to be an obstacle to the natural trend to accelerate the renewables transition.' That means by the end of the fall governments need to come up with new plans to fight climate change that are compatible with the global goal of limiting warming and ones that apply to the their entire economy and include all greenhouse gases, Guterres said. But don't expect one from the United States. President Donald Trump has pulled out of the landmark Paris climate agreement, slashed efforts to boost renewable energy and made fossil fuels a priority, including the dirtiest one in terms of climate and health, coal. 'Obviously, the (Trump) administration in itself is an obstacle, but there are others. The government in the U.S. doesn't control everything,' Guterres said. Sure, Trump pulled out of the Paris accord, but many states and cities are trying to live up to the Biden administration's climate-saving goals by reducing the burning of coal, oil and natural gas that release heat-trapping gases, Guterres said. Invest in fossil fuels, risk stranded assets? 'People do not want to lose money. People do not want to make investments in what will become stranded assets,' Guterres said. 'And I believe that even in the United States, we will go on seeing a reduction of emissions, I have no doubt about it.' He said any new investments in exploring for new fossil fuel deposits 'will be totally lost' and called them 'just a waste of money.' 'I'm perfectly convinced that we will never be able, in the history of humankind, to spend all the oil and gas that was already discovered,' Guterres said. But amid the hope of the renewable reports, Guterres said the world is still losing its battle on climate change, in danger of permanently passing 1.5 degree Celsius (2.7 degree Fahrenheit) warming since preindustrial times. That threshold is what the Paris agreement set up as a hoped-for global limit to warming 10 years ago. Many scientists have already pronounced the 1.5 threshold dead. Indeed, 2024 passed that mark, though scientists say it requires a 20-year average, not a single year, to consider the threshold breached. A scientific study from researchers who often work with the U.N. last month said the world is spewing so much carbon dioxide that sometime in early 2028, a couple years earlier than once predicted, passing the 1.5 mark will become scientifically inevitable. Guterres: 'We need to go on fighting' even as it looks bleak Guterres hasn't given up on the 1.5 degree goal yet, though he said it looks bad. 'We see the acceleration of different aspects of climate change., rising seas, glaciers melting, heat waves, storms of different kinds," he said. 'We need to go on fighting,' he said. 'I think we are on the right side of history.' Guterres, who spoke to AP after addressing the U.N. Security Council on the Israeli occupation of Gaza, said there's only one way to solve that seemingly intractable issue: An immediate ceasefire, a release of all remaining hostages, access for humanitarian relief and 'paving the way for a serious political process leading to the two-state solution. Some people say the two-state solution is now becoming extremely difficult. Even some saying it's impossible. But the question is, what is the alternative?' Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan are all crises, Guterres said, but climate change is an existential problem for the entire planet. And he said people don't realize how climate-caused droughts and extreme weather can feed poverty and terrorism. He pointed to the Sahel as an example. 'We see that people live in worse and worse conditions, less and less capacity to grow their crops, less and less capital,' he said. 'And this is largely due to climate change.' 'Everything is interlinked: Climate change, artificial intelligence, geopolitical divides, the problems of inequality and injustice,' Guterres said. 'And we need to make sure that we make progress in all of them at the same time.'

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