By Abdullahi Lukman
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has mouthed a stern warning to world leaders at the COP30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil, urging them to take decisive action to curb global warming or risk leading humanity toward “climate ruin.”
Speaking as leaders from climate-vulnerable nations gathered near the Amazon rainforest, Guterres condemned corporate greed and political inaction, accusing major emitters and powerful interests of profiting from environmental destruction.
“Too many corporations are making record profits from climate devastation, spending billions on lobbying, deceiving the public, and obstructing progress,” he said. “Leaders must choose to lead or be led to ruin.”
The UN chief acknowledged that surpassing the 1.5°C global warming threshold is now “inevitable in the short term,” but stressed that what matters most is “how high and for how long” temperatures rise before the world achieves recovery through aggressive emissions cuts.
His remarks came as leaders from developing nations, including Haiti, Kenya, and Barbados, pleaded for stronger financial commitments from wealthier countries to combat the worsening impacts of hurricanes, floods, droughts, and other climate disasters.
Despite a $300 billion pledge made at last year’s summit, no funds have been distributed, and many poorer nations insist that at least $1.3 trillion in public and private financing is required to meet global adaptation and mitigation needs.
Guterres underscored the urgency of the situation, reiterating the UN target to halve global emissions by 2030, reach net zero by 2050, and move toward net negative thereafter.
“This is a race we cannot afford to lose,” he warned, calling on world leaders at COP30 to transform promises into action and deliver genuine climate justice.