UNITED NATIONS, Jan 10 (Reuters) - U.N.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is disappointed that the

world's biggest asset manager, BlackRock BLK.N, has left a

global initiative to combat climate change, his spokesperson

said on Friday, urging other companies to "stay the course."

The move came under pressure from Republican politicians.

BlackRock ( BLK ), which manages some $11.5 trillion, said that its

membership "caused confusion regarding BlackRock's ( BLK ) practices and

subjected us to legal inquiries from various public officials."

Under the voluntary Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative,

Blackrock ( BLK ) had pledged to support the goal of net zero greenhouse

gas emissions by 2050, using influence such as how it votes

proxies at corporate meetings.

"The decision by BlackRock ( BLK ) is disappointing especially given

the critical role the private sector, and especially asset

managers, have to play in combatting the existential threat of

climate change," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

"We encourage those companies that remain in the Net Zero

alliance and other such initiatives to stay the course and

continue their efforts to be active in the fight against the

devastating impact of climate change," he said.

Blackrock ( BLK ) said its decision to leave the initative "does not

change the way we develop products and solutions for clients or

how we manage their portfolios." It said its active portfolio

managers "continue to assess material climate-related risks."

"We say climate change is an existential threat and it's not

just words," Dujarric said. "We're seeing the impact of it and

the devastation of it around the world.

"Countries rich and poor are being impacted. No one is safe,

and it is encumbered, obviously on governments, ... but also on

the private sector and the money and the investments that they

manage," he said.

2024 was the hottest year on record, the World Meteorological

Organization said on Friday, and the first in which temperatures

exceeded 1.5C above pre-industrial times - a threshold that may

lead to more severe climate disasters.