Humanity has missed the climate goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius. UN chief: “Let's admit our failure”

Humanity has failed to limit global warming to 1.5°C and must change course immediately, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned. In his only interview ahead of the COP30 climate summit, the UN leader admitted that exceeding this threshold agreed in the Paris Agreement is “unavoidable” and will have “devastating consequences” for the planet.

The head of the UN, António Guterres, warns that the climate objective of 1.5°C has been missed PHOTO: EPA EFE

Guterres called on leaders meeting next month in the Brazilian city of Belém to understand that delaying emissions cuts increases the risk of reaching “critical points” in the Amazon, in the Arctic and in the oceans.

“Let's admit our failure”he told The Guardian and Amazon-based media organization Sumaúma. “The truth is that we have not been able to avoid exceeding the 1.5°C threshold in the coming years. And crossing that threshold has devastating consequences. Some of the these consequences are critical pointseither in the Amazon, or in Greenland, or in West Antarctica, or in coral reefs“.

He emphasized that the priority of COP30 must be to change direction: “It is absolutely essential that we change course to ensure that the overshoot is as short and as light as possible to avoid hotspots like the Amazon. We don't want to see the Amazon turned into a savannah. But that's a real risk if we don't change course and if we don't realize a dramatic reduction in emissions as soon as possible”.

Global climate plans remain insufficient

The past ten years have been the warmest in recorded history. Despite scientific warnings about the accelerating rate of temperature rise caused by the burning of fossil fuels, Guterres noted that government commitments are insufficient.

Less than a third of the world's states (62 out of 197) have submitted their climate action plans, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement. The US, under the mandate of Donald Trump, withdrew from the process. Europe has promised, but so far has not followed through on its commitments. China, the world's biggest polluter, has been accused of setting insufficient targets.

“From the NDCs received so far, a 10% reduction in emissions is expected. We would need 60% to stay below 1.5°C. So crossing the threshold is now inevitable”Guterres explained.

However, he did not give up on the goal and stressed that it is still possible to temporarily exceed the 1.5°C threshold, but bring temperatures back to that level by the end of the century, if there is a radical change of direction at COP30 and beyond.

The role of indigenous communities

The UN Secretary-General has called for civil society representation at climate summits to be rebalanced, giving indigenous communities a greater presence and influence than those paid by corporations. “We all know what the lobbyists want. To increase their profits, at the cost of humanityGuterres said.

He also stated that the transition from fossil fuels is a matter of economic interest, as their era is coming to an end: “We see a renewable energy revolutionand the transition will inevitably accelerate. There is no way for mankind to use all the oil and gas already discovered“.

Regarding Brazil, where the government recently approved oil exploration near the mouth of the Amazon, Guterres said: “Not yet. I will take advantage of the COP to address this topic”.

One of Brazil's projects at COP30 is the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, designed to raise $125 billion for forest protection. A fifth of the funds will go directly to indigenous communities, which have the best preserved biodiversity and the most effective “absorbers” of carbon.

“It is fundamental to invest in those who are the best guardians of nature. And the best guardians of nature are precisely the indigenous communitiesGuterres said.

He emphasized that world leaders must learn from indigenous communities how to maintain a balance with nature. “Political leaders are often concerned with the everyday problems of society, especially when the economic situation is complicated and aggravated by climate change, disasters, catastrophes. That is why it is necessary to permanently maintain a pedagogy with the political leaders, and no one can do it better than the indigenous communities”.

COP, a vital chance

Despite mounting pressure on the COP system of global environmental governance, Guterres emphasized the crucial role of summits. “The alternative is total chaoshe said.And we know what that means: there will be a small privileged elite, people and companies who will always be able to protect themselves, even if disasters spread. Floods will advance, communities will be destroyed, but there will always be a group of rich people and rich companies who will be able to protect themselves while the planet is gradually destroyed.”

Next year will be Guterres' last as UN Secretary General. Looking back on his nine years in office, he stated that he should have focused earlier on climate and nature, but now they are a priority: “I will never give up my commitment to climate action, to biodiversity, to the protection of nature and to supporting all the democratic movements in the world fighting to preserve the most precious treasure we have, our mother nature”.