The world is courting a “moral failure” and “deadly negligence,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned in a fiery speech at the Brazil climate summit. His urgent message centered on the potential failure to hold global warming to the 1.5-degree Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) benchmark.
Guterres, speaking at the preliminary gathering in Belem, stressed that “even a temporary overshoot” of this critical limit will have “dramatic consequences.” He painted a stark picture, stating “every fraction of a degree higher means more hunger, displacement and loss.”
His warning comes as global divisions threaten to derail progress. The leaders of the three largest polluting nations—the US, China, and India—were absent from the gathering. Guterres slammed world powers for remaining “captive to the fossil fuel interests.”
Amid this bleak outlook, Brazil’s President Lula da Silva is pushing a major proposal for a solution: the “Tropical Forests Forever Facility.” This is a new fund, financed by loans, to pay 74 developing nations to protect their rainforests.
The fund has already attracted $5.5 billion in pledges, including a large $3 billion commitment from Norway. It also prioritizes Indigenous communities, who will receive 20 percent of the funds for their role in preserving these critical lands.
A “Moral Failure”: UN Chief Guterres Warns 1.5°C Limit is in Peril
