Missing 1.5C climate target is a moral failure, UN chief tells Cop30 summit

The Cop30 conference will take place in turbulent times. Photograph: Eraldo Peres/AP

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.”