Guterres urges rapid action on emissions gap ahead of COP31

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world can no longer avoid exceeding the 1.5-degree limit and urged countries to act quickly to close the emissions gap. In a video message ahead of COP31 in Antalya in November, he discussed the annual Emissions Gap Report published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Guterres pointed to deadly floods, extreme heatwaves and severe wildfires, and said the climate crisis is paralysing economies and deepening inequality. He said warming could still be brought back below 1.5°C before the end of the century, which would require cutting global greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent by 2030 and 45 percent by 2035, but emissions remain at record levels.

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen said there is no longer a chance to keep warming below 1.5°C, but the Paris Agreement’s most ambitious target should not be abandoned. “Countries must understand that the point of no return has begun,” she said.