Humanity is now set to overshoot the 1.5°C global heating threshold set by the Paris Agreement, within the next few years, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has admitted. He called for an immediate shift in course before the planet crosses catastrophic tipping points.

In an interview with The Guardian and Amazon-based outlet Sumaúma, Guterres said it is now “inevitable” that the target will be breached in the coming years.

“The truth is that we have failed to avoid an overshooting above 1.5°C,” he said, warning that consequences will include destabilisation in regions such as the Amazon, Greenland, western Antarctica, and coral reefs.

He urged world leaders attending Cop30 in Belém, Brazil, to make “a dramatic decrease of emissions as soon as possible” to ensure the overshoot remains “as short and as low in intensity as possible.”

As reported by The Guardian, fewer than a third of nations have submitted updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris framework, just 62 out of 197.

The existing pledges, Guterres noted, would cut emissions by only 10 per cent, far below the 60 per cent reduction required to stay within the 1.5°C threshold.

Despite the setback, Guterres said recovery is possible if global efforts intensify after Cop30, including a rebalancing of representation to amplify civil society and Indigenous voices.

“It is fundamental to invest in those who are the best guardians of nature,” he said, adding that Indigenous communities embody “a pedagogy of harmony with nature” that political leaders must learn from.

The secretary-general described the transition away from fossil fuels as inevitable, calling it “a matter of economic self-interest.” Reflecting on his tenure, Guterres vowed to continue championing climate action and biodiversity, declaring: “I will never give up on my commitment to protect nature — our most precious possession.”