Missing 1.5C climate target a 'moral failure'

The failure to limit global heating to 1.5C is a “moral failure and deadly negligence”, the UN secretary general has said at the opening session of the Cop30 summit in Belém, Brazil.

- Jonathan Watts Fiona Harvey Belém

António Guterres said even a temporary overshoot would have “dramatic consequences. It could push ecosystems past catastrophic tipping points, expose billions to unliveable conditions and amplify threats to peace and security.”

Speaking to heads of state from more than 30 countries, Guterres called the target of limiting global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels a "red line" for a habitable planet and urged his audience to bring about a "paradigm shift" so that the effects of the overshoot could be minimised.

"Every fraction of a degree means more hunger, displacement and loss - especially for those least responsible. This is moral failure - and deadly negligence," he said.

The World Meteorological Organization confirmed yesterday that greenhouse gas emissions, which heat the planet, had risen to a record high. It said 2025 was on track to be the second or third warmest year recorded. All 10 of the hottest years in history have been in the past decade.

Guterres said there had been some progress but it was not fast enough.

Many countries had put forward more ambitious plans to cut emissions. If they were fully implemented, he said, the world would be on a pathway to about 2.3C of global warming.