World Leaders Warned of ‘Moral Failure’ on Climate Ahead of COP30

Presidents and prime ministers lamented the slow pace of work to combat climate change as they met Thursday in the Brazilian Amazon city of Belém, warning that without immediate action, conditions could become unlivable for billions of people.

The world is set to overshoot a key Paris Agreement goal to limit warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels — marking a “moral failure and deadly negligence,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said at the start of the leaders summit. Meanwhile, some nations are dialing back climate policies and companies have retreated from net-zero pledges.