Antalya (Turkiye), November 14 – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for urgent and substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, warning that global temperatures are likely to exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold despite efforts to limit climate change.
Addressing the final press conference of the ongoing UN climate change conference (COP31), Guterres said global emissions must decline by approximately six percent annually in the coming years to limit the duration and severity of temperature overshoot.
He warned that even if countries fully implement their existing climate commitments under Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), global temperatures could still rise by more than 2.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
“Our responsibility is to keep the rise in temperatures above 1.5 degrees to a minimum, limit it to the shortest possible period, and bring the temperature back below 1.5 degrees as quickly as possible,” he said.
Guterres stressed that climate justice has become increasingly urgent as rising temperatures intensify destructive climate impacts, particularly for developing countries and vulnerable communities.
He urged developed nations to honour their financial commitments, noting that even tripling adaptation finance would cover less than 30 percent of the estimated needs.
Describing fossil fuels as the primary driver of the climate crisis, he called for a fair and orderly transition away from them, alongside greater investment in renewable energy, electricity grids, energy storage and efficiency.
He also warned that climate disasters are worsening hunger, displacement, poverty and resource competition, linking climate action directly to peace, development and human rights.
Participating in his final COP during nearly a decade as UN chief, Guterres stressed that no country could tackle climate change alone.
“Let’s face the facts, follow the science, choose the future, and never give up,” he urged.
