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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/06/missing-15c-climate-target-is-a-moral-failure-guterres-tells-cop30-summit>
"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 climate summit in the Brazilian city of 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.
On Thursday, the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that greenhouse
gas emissions, which are heating the planet, had risen to a record high. It
said 2025 was on track to be the second or third warmest year ever recorded.
All of the 10 hottest years in measured 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.
This forecast leaves the planet in dangerous territory but is considerably
better than seemed possible 20 years ago. This is largely thanks to
international support for the 2015 Paris agreement and a clean energy
revolution that is gathering pace. But several powerful countries are stepping
away from climate action as far-right nationalism takes hold, particularly the
US.
Guterres said the oil, gas and coal industries were holding back change. In his
fiercest criticism yet, he said these companies commanded vast subsidies and
political support and used them to the detriment of everyone else."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
