Guterres at COP31: 'Crossing the 1.5-degree threshold is inevitable'

At his final Cop, Antonio Guterres delivers the news that in ten years as UN Secretary-General he has done everything he could not to give. Global warming will exceed the 1.5-degree limit above pre-industrial levels. Humanity has missed the most ambitious goal of the Paris Agreement. Guterres points the finger at the fossil fuel lobbies. And former US Vice President Al Gore doubles down, accusing Saudi Arabia in particular. In Antalya, the weight of the oil-producing countries is making itself felt in the negotiations, slowing down all commitments to phase out fossil fuels. "Science has revealed another hard truth," the UN Secretary-General said in his final speech at a Cop. "Exceeding the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold is now inevitable. It is our responsibility to limit that overshoot as much as possible, minimize its duration, and bring temperatures back below 1.5 degrees as quickly as possible." For Guterres, "fossil fuels are the cause of the climate crisis. There is no credible path to a safe climate without abandoning them." But to do so, he adds, "we must confront the disproportionate influence of the fossil fuel lobby. The future of our planet cannot be negotiated on the terms of those who profit from its destruction." Shortly before, at Cop31, former US Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Al Gore had spoken, expressing similar ideas: "The idea that a single country, like Saudi Arabia, can block any initiative desired by the rest of the world is literally insane." As in all Cops, in Antalya too the strength of the gas- and oil-producing countries makes itself felt. While the EU, the United Kingdom, and the small island states of the Aosis push for a return below the 1.5-degree limit as soon as possible, the Arab Group is resisting. The same Group, along with Azerbaijan and Qatar, opposes rigid and binding schemes for the transition away from fossil fuels (Taff). But making clear also the difficulties in which the organization of the Cops is struggling, news arrives in the Turkish seaside resort that China is withdrawing from hosting Cop33 in 2028. Still in the running are South Korea, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, and Thailand. The think tank Ecco, meanwhile, takes stock of Italy's commitment to the climate. Public climate finance has almost tripled in three years (from 838 million euros in 2023 to 2.29 billion in 2025). Italy is the leading contributor to the Fund for Loss and Damage from the climate crisis, with 112.3 million dollars. But aid increasingly flows through bilateral agreements, and goes less and less to the smallest and poorest countries. Moreover, Italy is the country in Europe that finances fossil fuels the most: about 6 billion dollars since 2022, ahead of Germany (2.5) and Switzerland (1.6). Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA