UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels are failing.
The United Nations is planning to host a climate event alongside the annual gathering.
The climate goals for 2035 of the countries that had signed the Paris Agreement, also known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), were expected months ago. However, uncertainties related to geopolitical tensions and trade have slowed progress. “We are on the verge of this objective collapsing,” he said.
Guterres added, “We absolutely need countries to come with climate action plans that are fully aligned with 1.5 degrees Celsius, covering the whole of their economies and all greenhouse gas emissions. We must achieve a drastic reduction in emissions in the next few years if we want to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius target alive.”
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Earlier during the COP30 meeting in Brazil, several countries showed sluggish interest in announcing their plans, particularly China and EU nations, which are considered critical for future climate diplomacy.
Guterres said that “climate issues have taken a back seat due to multiple crises, including the Coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the Israeli invasion of Gaza.”
The UN is now hoping that the climate summit, co-chaired on Wednesday in New York by the Secretary-General and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will be an opportunity to advance the COP30 plans.
In several past reports, the UN warned that there is an increased risk for countries lying below sea level and those that depend on the ocean for food security, particularly poorer and underdeveloped nations.
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