Protecting Forests, Oceans ‘Smart Economics’, Secretary-General Says at Climate Summit Thematic Session, Calling for Action to Limit 1.5°C Warming Overshoot

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres' remarks to the thematic session on "Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans" at the thirtieth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30), in Belém today:

We gather in Belém, where the world's greatest rainforest meets rivers that feed the ocean. A place that reminds us that nature's fate is humanity's fate. Here in Belém, that shared fate sits on a knife-edge. Science shows that 1.5°C by the end of the century remains within reach.

But, a temporary overshoot is now inevitable. We must act now to keep it as small and as short as possible - and to bend the curve back to 1.5°C.

Every fraction of a degree matters, and any delay is indefensible. This includes safeguarding our forests and oceans. They are essential for climate stability, biodiversity, and the survival of millions. Yet, we continue to destroy and degrade them. That must end now.

First, forests. Today, we celebrated a major new initiative for tropical forests. But, vital forests stretch beyond the tropics - across boreal and temperate regions. They store carbon and regulate rainfall shielding us from floods, droughts and deadly heat.

We must halt deforestation by 2030 to keep 1.5°C within reach - protecting intact tropical and boreal forests, conserving peatlands, ending illegal logging and eliminating deforestation from supply chains. We must also restore degraded land, with nature-based solutions that protect watersheds, reduce disaster risk and create green jobs.

Second, oceans. Our oceans absorb a quarter of human CO₂ emissions and most of the excess heat trapped in our atmosphere. They cool the planet, underpin food security, livelihoods and coastal protection. Yet, they are warming, acidifying and rising - threatening lives, economies and the very existence of entire communities.

We must enhance coastal protection and early warning systems; restore coral reefs, seagrass and mangroves; tackle plastic and nutrient pollution; expand effectively managed marine protected areas - including by rapidly implementing the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction; and deliver "30 by 30" - protecting 30 per cent of land and ocean by 2030.

This year, in a historic advisory opinion on climate change, the International Court of Justice held that sea-level rise poses economic, social, cultural and humanitarian challenges, and made clear that nations are obligated to cooperate in this context.

That call for unity and justice begins with Indigenous Peoples. They have safeguarded lands and waters for millennia - preserving biodiversity and sustaining the ecosystems that sustain us all.

Yet, they receive only a fraction of climate finance - and far too little recognition. We must honour and support them by upholding land rights, ensuring full participation in decision-making and investing in their leadership as the planet's true guardians.

Protecting forests and oceans is not charity. It is a legal and moral responsibility - and smart economics. Let us honour that duty: By safeguarding these foundations of life, investing in nature's recovery and ensuring that people and planet thrive together - now and for generations to come. Thank you.