UN chief warns 1.5°C climate goal at risk as key nations delay action ahead of COP30

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels are faltering, with less than two months to go before the COP30 climate summit in Brazil.

According to AFP, Guterres highlighted delays in the submission of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by key countries, including China and the European Union. “We are on the verge of this objective collapsing,” he said. “We absolutely need countries to come… with climate action plans that are fully aligned with 1.5 degrees (Celsius), that cover the whole of their economies and the whole of their greenhouse gas emissions.”

The secretary-general noted that geopolitical tensions, trade rivalries, and competing global crises have slowed progress. He urged nations to take immediate and comprehensive action, stressing that drastic emission reductions in the coming years are essential to keep the 1.5°C target alive.

The warning comes as the UN prepares to host a climate week event in New York alongside its annual diplomatic gathering. The summit, co-chaired by Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, aims to revive momentum ahead of COP30.

Containing global warming to 1.5°C is the most ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates a 50:50 chance that the planet will reach this threshold by 2030-2035. Scientists caution that every fraction of a degree increase intensifies the risks of heatwaves, ecosystem damage, and marine life destruction.

Guterres concluded with a call for determination over panic: “It’s not a matter of panic. It’s a matter to be determined, to put all pressure on countries.”