Climate stalemate from the UN chief "The bitter truth is that we haven't done it"
Serious warning: UN Secretary-General Guterres.
Image: dpa
Activists dance to protest at the #COP30 world climate conference.
Image: dpa
There is room for protest in Belém - a clear difference to past climate conferences.
Image: dpa
Serious warning: UN Secretary-General Guterres.
Image: dpa
Activists dance to protest at the #COP30 world climate conference.
Image: dpa
There is room for protest in Belém - a clear difference to past climate conferences.
Image: dpa
Too little, too late: most countries have not done enough homework when it comes to climate protection. Now it's time for detention: Detention in Brazil. The climate summit begins with gloomy forecasts.
06.11.2025, 20:36
06.11.2025, 20:42
dpa
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- Before the start of the climate summit in Belém, UN chief António Guterres spoke to the heads of state and government from all over the world.
- "The bitter truth is that we have not managed to stay below 1.5 degrees," said UN Secretary-General at a summit in Belém on the edge of the Amazon rainforest.
- The UN chief called for a rapid change of course and radical steps.
- Guterres called for no more new coal-fired power plants and oil and gas projects to be approved and for global deforestation to be completely halted by 2030.
Ten years after the historic Paris Climate Agreement, UN chief António Guterres has admonished heads of state and government from all over the world and called for radical steps in the fight against global warming.
"The bitter truth is that we have not managed to stay below 1.5 degrees," said UN Secretary-General at a summit in Belém on the edge of the Amazon rainforest. Before the official start of the 30th World Climate Conference next week, Brazil has invited people to the crisis meeting.
Guterres denounces "moral failure"
Guterres referred to scientific findings that the 1.5-degree limit set out in the Paris Climate Agreement will be exceeded for a limited period by the beginning of the 2030s at the latest - with fatal consequences. Every tenth of a degree means more hunger, more displacement and more suffering. The fight against the climate crisis is currently inadequate, as the world is heading for warming of well over two degrees and emissions of climate-damaging greenhouse gases are continuing to rise. "This is moral failure - and deadly negligence."
The UN chief called for a rapid change of course. For example, no more new coal-fired power plants and oil and gas projects should be approved. Guterres also called for a complete halt to global deforestation by 2030.
A "COP of truth" at a symbolic location
The host, Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, warned against abandoning the goals of the Paris Agreement now. "The COP30 will be the COP of truth," said Lula. It is the first time that a climate summit has been held in the Amazon - and there is "no greater symbol for the cause of the environment than the Amazon rainforest" with its thousands of species and plants.
Brazil wants to raise a lot of money for the protection of this and other tropical forests and establish a new fund worth billions. Countries that preserve their tropical forests are to be rewarded. For every hectare destroyed, on the other hand, heavy fines are to be imposed and paid into the fund.
More room for protest again in Brazil
In addition to the mood of crisis, the Brazilian host also showed its colorful diversity at the beginning: green and blue costumed mascots and musicians with colorful ribbons on their hats danced in front of the suits from all over the world. In front of the site, activists danced and sang to demand more climate protection. After three years of climate conferences in authoritarian states, civil society has more room for protests this time.
Whether the consensus of Paris ten years ago can be revived, however, remains questionable. The French brought the hammer with which the historic agreement was sealed in 2015 to Belém in this hope. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer lamented that the consensus was unfortunately no longer there. However, the UK remains "fully committed" to the net zero agenda, which will also benefit the economy.
The heir to the throne, Prince William, whose family has been committed to the fight against the climate crisis for decades, also traveled from the United Kingdom. He reminded the audience that this is not a distant threat - but is already affecting small villages as well as huge cities. "No corner of the world will be unaffected," said William. It is now time to ask ourselves what legacy we want to leave behind.
USA no longer involved
The Chinese Vice Prime Minister, Ding Xuexiang, referred to the strong expansion of renewable energies in his country - which emits by far the most greenhouse gases worldwide. Green business is the trend of the times and creates jobs, and his government is committed to this.
He expressly called for barriers in global trade to be torn down, which also hindered the spread of green technologies - without explicitly mentioning the smouldering tariff dispute with US President Donald Trump. With Trump, the USA has once again withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Climate crisis will continue to show its destructive face in 2025
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) opens with a devastating interim assessment of the current year: many regions in Africa and Asia experienced devastating floods, while Europe and the USA were hit by forest fires and several severe tropical cyclones. With its persistently and alarmingly high temperatures, 2025 is likely to be the second or third warmest year since the industrial revolution. 2024 was the hottest year to date with around 1.55 degrees above the reference mark.
So far, humanity has done too little to prevent further escalation: according to the WMO, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially CO2, reached record levels again in 2024 and continued to rise in 2025. Nevertheless, net emissions in the EU fell by a further estimated 2.5 percent last year, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA). By 2024, EU emissions will have fallen by just over 37% compared to 1990 levels.
