UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has declared that global efforts to limit climate warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels are failing.
Guterres told AFP that the world stands on the verge of this critical objective collapsing due to insufficient action from nations.
He emphasised the urgent need for countries to submit climate action plans fully aligned with the 1.5C goal and covering their entire economies and greenhouse gas emissions.
The UN chief called for a drastic reduction in emissions within the next few years to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit achievable.
Dozens of countries have delayed announcing their climate plans less than two months before the COP30 meeting in Brazil.
Major powers including China and the European Union are considered pivotal for climate diplomacy but have been particularly slow in their submissions.
Geopolitical tensions and trade rivalries have created uncertainties that slowed the process of receiving Nationally Determined Contributions.
Guterres expressed concern that these national climate action plans may not ultimately support the 1.5C warming limit.
The UN hopes its climate summit co-chaired by Guterres and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will reignite global efforts.
Containing global warming to 1.5C represents the most ambitious goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a 50:50 chance that global temperatures will reach 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by 2030-2035.
Scientists emphasise that each fraction of a degree increase significantly raises risks including extreme heat waves and marine ecosystem destruction.
Limiting warming to 1.5C rather than 2C would substantially reduce the most catastrophic consequences of climate change.
The United Nations confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded in human history. – AFP