**UN Secretary-General Warns Efforts to Cap Global Warming at 1.5°C Are Failing**
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed serious concerns that global efforts to limit climate warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels are faltering. This warning comes as the United Nations prepares to host a Climate Week event alongside its annual diplomatic gathering.
Guterres highlighted that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are the national climate action plans submitted by countries, may not be sufficient to meet the critical goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. The climate targets for 2035, set by countries participating in the Paris Agreement, were due several months ago but have been delayed due to geopolitical tensions and trade rivalries.
“We are on the verge of this objective collapsing,” Guterres told AFP. “We absolutely need countries to come forward with climate action plans that are fully aligned with 1.5 degrees Celsius, covering the entirety of their economies and greenhouse gas emissions.”
He emphasized the urgency of a drastic reduction in emissions in the coming years to keep the 1.5°C target within reach. With less than two months until COP30 in Brazil, many countries — notably China and the European Union, both critical players in global climate diplomacy — have been slow to announce their plans.
The past few years have seen climate action take a back seat amid multiple global crises, including the coronavirus pandemic and various conflicts. Guterres is now seeking to renew international focus and commitment to combating man-made global warming.
The upcoming Climate Summit in New York, co-chaired by Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is intended as a platform to reinvigorate efforts ahead of COP30.
Guterres stressed, “It’s not a matter to panic. It’s a matter to be determined, to put all pressure on countries.”
Limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels remains the most ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there is a 50:50 chance that the average global temperature will rise by 1.5°C between 2030 and 2035.
Scientists warn that every fraction of a degree of warming increases the risks of severe heatwaves, destruction of marine ecosystems, and other climate-related disasters. Containing warming to 1.5°C instead of 2°C would significantly reduce the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.
The United Nations has also reported that 2024 is on track to be the hottest year ever recorded, underscoring the urgency of immediate and concerted climate action.
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