Belem: The UN secretary-general has issued a stark warning that humanity has not succeeded in limiting global warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) and must urgently change its course. This warning comes as leaders prepare to gather for the COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, set to take place in November.

According to Anadolu Agency, Antonio Guterres, in an interview with the Guardian, emphasized the inevitability of surpassing the Paris Agreement’s target, which will lead to severe repercussions globally. Guterres stressed the urgency for leaders to act, highlighting that any delay in reducing emissions increases the risk of triggering catastrophic tipping points in critical regions such as the Amazon, the Arctic, and the oceans.

Guterres called for a recognition of failure, stating, “The truth is that we have failed to avoid an overshooting above 1.5°C in the next few years. And that going above 1.5°C has devastating consequences. Some of these devastating consequences are tipping points, be it in the Amazon, be it in Greenland, or western Antarctica or the coral reefs.”

The primary aim of COP30, as highlighted by the UN chief, is to shift direction and reduce the duration and extent of exceeding the 1.5°C threshold to avoid crucial tipping points, like the potential degradation of the Amazon. “We don’t want to see the Amazon as a savannah. But that is a real risk if we don’t change course and if we don’t make a dramatic decrease of emissions as soon as possible,” Guterres added.