UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged nations Thursday to step up climate action, saying it remains “still possible” to cap global temperature rise at 1.5 °C by century’s end.
“We know what permanently breaching that limit would mean for people and planet,” he warned during a summit held alongside the UN General Assembly, stressing that both science and economics demand bold action.
With the COP30 climate conference set for November in Belém, Brazil, Guterres called for “dramatic emissions cuts aligned with 1.5°C; covering all emissions and sectors; and accelerating a just energy transition globally.”
“Your new plans can take us a significant step forward,” he told member states, adding that an upcoming UN report will assess their greenhouse gas impacts. If goals fall short, he insisted, “we must create the conditions for a decade of acceleration.”
Guterres outlined five priority areas: clean energy transition, deep methane reductions, forest protection, cleaner heavy industry, and climate justice—urging wealthier and polluting states to finance support for less-developed countries.
