Missing 1.5C climate target is a moral failure, UN chief tells Cop30 summit

"The failure to limit global heating to 1.5C is a moral failure and deadly negligence, the UN secretary general has said at the opening session of the Cop30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belem. Antonio Guterres said even a temporary overshoot could unleash far greater destruction and costs for every nation. It could push ecosystems past catastrophic and irreversible tipping points, expose billions to unliveable conditions, and amplify threats to peace and security."

"He said efforts to stabilise the climate were being held back by fossil fuel companies who were deceiving the public and obstructing progress. Speaking to heads of state from more than 30 nations, Guterres called the target of limiting global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels a red line for a habitable planet and urged his audience to bring about a fundamental paradigm shift so that the effects of the overshoot could be minimised."

"Each year above 1.5C will hammer economies, deepen inequalities and inflict irreversible damage with developing countries that did least to cause it hit hardest. That is not solidarity. It is moral failure and deadly negligence, he said. On Thursday the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that greenhouse gas emissions, which are heating the planet, had risen to a record high. It said 2025 was on track to be the second or third warmest year ever recorded."

Failure to limit global heating to 1.5C is described as a moral failure and deadly negligence. Even a temporary overshoot could unleash far greater destruction and costs for every nation. An overshoot could push ecosystems past catastrophic and irreversible tipping points, expose billions to unliveable conditions, and amplify threats to peace and security. Efforts to stabilise the climate are being held back by fossil fuel companies deceiving the public and obstructing progress. The 1.5C target is a red line for a habitable planet and requires a fundamental paradigm shift to minimise overshoot effects. Every fraction of a degree higher increases hunger, displacement, economic hardship, and loss of lives and ecosystems. Each year above 1.5C will hammer economies, deepen inequalities, and inflict irreversible damage, with developing countries hit hardest. Greenhouse gas emissions have risen to a record high and 2025 is on track to be among the warmest years. If current national plans were fully implemented, global warming would still be around 2.3C.

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