Global leaders have "missed the opportunity" to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The warning comes ahead of next month's climate summit in Brazil, where world leaders will gather to discuss the planet's future.
The UN chief admitted that humanity has failed to meet its commitment under the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. He warned that overshooting this target would have devastating consequences, including catastrophic tipping points in the Amazon, Arctic, and oceans.
Guterres urged leaders to take immediate action, saying "it is absolutely indispensable to change course" and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible. The sooner governments act, the better chance there is of avoiding the worst impacts of climate change.
The lack of ambition from world leaders has left the Paris goal increasingly out of reach. Only 62 out of 197 countries have submitted their climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and even then, many are woefully inadequate.
The US abandoned its commitment to the Paris Agreement under former President Donald Trump, while European governments have promised but failed to deliver on their commitments. China, the world's largest emitter, has been accused of undercommitting.
Guterres called for a dramatic decrease in emissions at Cop30 and urged leaders to rebalance representation at the climate summit so that civil society groups, particularly from Indigenous communities, have a greater voice. He warned that if governments fail to act, a "free-for-all" will ensue, where only the wealthy and powerful can protect themselves while the rest of the world suffers.
The UN chief also stressed the importance of Indigenous voices at Cop30, saying they are the best guardians of nature and need to be involved in the decision-making process. He pledged that he would raise his concerns with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose government has recently given the green light for oil exploration near the Amazon.
As the world hurtles towards a catastrophic future unless we act now, Guterres's warnings are stark and urgent. The time for change is now – if not, the consequences will be devastating.
The UN chief admitted that humanity has failed to meet its commitment under the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. He warned that overshooting this target would have devastating consequences, including catastrophic tipping points in the Amazon, Arctic, and oceans.
Guterres urged leaders to take immediate action, saying "it is absolutely indispensable to change course" and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible. The sooner governments act, the better chance there is of avoiding the worst impacts of climate change.
The lack of ambition from world leaders has left the Paris goal increasingly out of reach. Only 62 out of 197 countries have submitted their climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and even then, many are woefully inadequate.
The US abandoned its commitment to the Paris Agreement under former President Donald Trump, while European governments have promised but failed to deliver on their commitments. China, the world's largest emitter, has been accused of undercommitting.
Guterres called for a dramatic decrease in emissions at Cop30 and urged leaders to rebalance representation at the climate summit so that civil society groups, particularly from Indigenous communities, have a greater voice. He warned that if governments fail to act, a "free-for-all" will ensue, where only the wealthy and powerful can protect themselves while the rest of the world suffers.
The UN chief also stressed the importance of Indigenous voices at Cop30, saying they are the best guardians of nature and need to be involved in the decision-making process. He pledged that he would raise his concerns with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose government has recently given the green light for oil exploration near the Amazon.
As the world hurtles towards a catastrophic future unless we act now, Guterres's warnings are stark and urgent. The time for change is now – if not, the consequences will be devastating.
. Like, shouldn’t we have been doing this 20 years ago?! It’s not like it's rocket science – reducing emissions and protecting the planet isn't exactly a complex task... I mean, come on! 
We've got one chance to get it right here, but it feels like no one is taking it seriously enough. The Amazon is literally burning while we sit around talking about whether or not to take action 
. It's time for some real leadership and a lot less talk 
this is insane! 62 out of 197 countries submitting their plans? that's like, super tiny percentages 
only China & Europe got kinda decent on it 
this is getting crazy how many countries aren't even doing their part to save the planet its like we're all waiting for someone else to fix it 
meanwhile the Amazon is literally burning and our oceans are dying 
... global leaders gotta step up their game ASAP or else we're gonna see some crazy stuff happen ... like crazy 
... no one's taking this seriously enough and it's all about the benjamins 
for those who can afford to play the climate game 
... the US and China are giving me major whiplash 
, they gotta get their act together or else we're all gonna be up a creek 
... can't just sit back and hope for the best, we need action now 
...
i just can't believe that global leaders have missed the chance to save our planet 
. and now they're all like "oh no, what's going to happen?" 
! 
! it can't be just rich countries and governments doing everything, we need more Indigenous voices at Cop30 
! Guterres is saying this is super important because they're the best guardians of nature 
. i'm literally begging world leaders to please change course ASAP 
... like, what's taking so long?! 
The Amazon, Arctic, and oceans are literally burning... or melting... or whatever, and we just sit around and talk about how much we should do. 
I think they're being super harsh on the leaders though... like, can't they just try? 
It's easy to say 'change course' but how do you actually make that happen? 
Also, what about all the scientists and experts who've been warning us about climate change for years? Don't they deserve some credit? 
I'm literally dying over here thinking about the state of our planet 
too! We can't just leave it all to the wealthy and powerful, we need a level playing field 
. The Indigenous voices are right at the forefront of this fight, they're our best guardians of nature 
. It's time for us to listen and act on their concerns 
. Can we please, for the love of planet Earth, change course now? 
. If we don't take drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions soon, it's going to be a free-for-all where only the wealthy can protect themselves 
.
The US abandoning its commitment to the Paris Agreement was a major blow 
We can't let governments continue to prioritize profits over people 
Their voices matter and we need to listen 
! 62 out of 197 is a far cry from the 180+ needed to make a difference 
. We can do this, but we gotta step up our game 
. And China is just laughing all the way to the bank, releasing gazillion tons of greenhouse gases and not even caring 
. We need some serious drama, stat! Like, ASAP 
. It's time for a major course change and we need it now 
. We gotta take action and make some real changes, or else... *shudders*
it's crazy how far we've come since then, but still so much work to be done 
It's all just a bunch of hot air (literally, with climate change and all). And yeah, 62 countries have submitted their plans... that's, like, a whole lot of 'maybe'. 
China's emissions? More like carbon-choking emissions. 
It's about time someone (Guterres) spoke up for them, but a "free-for-all" sounds like an awful lot of free-falling... for the planet, that is. 
. The thing is, even if we don't overshoot it by much, the damage is still gonna be massive. I mean, the Amazon, Arctic... these are the ones that will really pay the price 
.
. And let's be real, the US abandoning its commitment under Trump was a no-brainer - they're like, totally allergic to taking responsibility for anything 
. But seriously, Guterres is spot on. We can't keep pretending that we've got this climate thing figured out. It's time for some serious action, and fast 
the lack of ambition from world leaders is just mind boggling 62 countries submitting NDCs like what even is that supposed to do?