1.5°C global warming limit still achievable, says UN climate chief

Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), says the 1.5°C global warming limit is still achievable, but with faster implementation.

Stiell spoke on Monday at the opening of the UN June climate meetings in Bonn, Germany, where world leaders, climate negotiators, and civil society groups have gathered for the 62nd session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB62).

The meeting, which will run until June 13, is expected to lay critical groundwork ahead of COP30, scheduled to take place in Brazil in November.

Stiell noted that although multilateral efforts have helped shift projected global warming from 5°C to about 3°C, efforts were still not enough.

“You are laying down the tracks that further deliver implementation in the real economy where deep emissions cuts and transformative adaptation must be delivered, quickly and fairly,” Stiell said.

“It’s a measure of how far we’ve come, and how far to go. The 1.5°C target remains both achievable and essential.

“Unlock delivery under the just transition work Programme so that it helps move Just Transition from a necessary concept to a lived reality.”

The UN climate chief called on countries to make progress on the outcomes of the first global stocktake at Bonn.

He also raised concerns about the budget constraints facing the climate secretariat, noting that the growing list of tasks assigned to it must be matched with adequate funding.

Stiell urged countries to ensure that the mitigation work programme — established at COP26 in Glasgow to urgently scale up mitigation ambition — builds momentum for “actionable solutions that respond to the urgency”.

“We have found significant cost savings and efficiencies, but this approach is not sustainable. I urge you to address our budget challenges fully through your deliberations here in Bonn,” he added.

A major priority for negotiators in Bonn is to develop a roadmap to mobilise the $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance that developing countries say is needed by 2030 to meet their climate goals.

Talks in Bonn are expected to focus on climate finance, just transition, emissions mitigation, and finalising indicators for the global goal on adaptation (GGA).

Delegates are also looking to unlock progress under the just transition work programme, aimed at ensuring vulnerable workers and communities are not left behind as countries shift away from fossil fuels.