Overshooting 1.5°C limit now inevitable without emissions cuts: UN
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UN's Antonio Guterres says surpassing the 1.5°C climate target is inevitable unless urgent global action is taken ahead of the COP30 summit in Brazil.
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Secretary General Antonio Guterres leads a climate summit, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, at UN headquarters (AP)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated on Wednesday that it was now clear the world would fail in the short term in its efforts to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Guterres warned that exceeding the 1.51.5°C limit would trigger predictable yet devastating consequences.
Speaking at the UN's World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Guterres stated, "One thing is already clear: we will not be able to contain the global warming below 1.5 degrees in the next few years."
He further added that "overshooting is now inevitable. Which means that we're going to have a period, bigger or smaller, with higher or lower intensity, above 1.5 degrees in the years to come."
The UN chief contrasted by saying that if there is a paradigm shift and global leaders take the issue seriously by working toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero, the 1.5°C target is achievable, according to all the scientists he spoke with.
The 2015 Paris climate accords established a goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with an aspirational target of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Scientists warn that each fractional increase in global warming significantly amplifies risks, including more intense heatwaves and the destruction of marine life.
Fight against disinformation
Ahead of the COP30 summit in Brazil next month, Guterres insisted on the need to "fight mis- and disinformation, online harassment, and greenwashing."
According to AFP, Many observers will likely interpret his remarks as a direct response to Donald Trump's recent UN address in New York, a speech in which the Republican presidential candidate championed fossil fuels while simultaneously deriding green technologies.
During his UN address, US President Donald Trump dismissed climate change as a "con job" and the carbon footprint as a "hoax", while also vowing to eliminate "falsely named renewables" like solar and wind, which he labeled an expensive and ineffective "joke".
Guterres rebutted this by insisting that in 2024, "almost all new power capacity came from renewables" and that investment in the sector was surging, noting that "renewables are the cheapest, fastest and smartest source of new power. They represent the only credible path to end the relentless destruction of our climate."
"Global warming is pushing our planet to the brink," Guterres said in a stark warning, highlighting that "every one of the last 10 years has been the hottest in history. Ocean heat is breaking records while decimating ecosystems. And no country is safe from fires, floods, storms and heatwaves."
Concluding his speech, the UN chief urged countries to deliver bold new national climate action plans that align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius ahead of the COP30 summit.
