UN secretary-general António Guterres warned on Tuesday that the world’s temperature will certainly surpass the 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement in 2015.

“The world will inevitably overshoot the 1.5°C limit,” Mr Guterres said via a video message during the Austrian World Summit in Vienna.

He, however, said temperatures could still be brought back below the 1.5°C threshold through urgent and concerted efforts.

The UN chief commended Austrian President Van der Bellen and climate action advocate Arnold Schwarzenegger, noting that the summit has brought together leaders, innovators, and citizens to advance climate action.

“That mission is more urgent than ever—as the climate crisis enters a dangerous new phase,” he said.

He decried the “most severe energy crisis in a generation” driven by the Middle East crisis, highlighting the “wrecking” of the planet by fossil fuels, which he said are also wrecking economies.

This, Mr Gutteres said, has left “countries at the mercy of geopolitical turmoil and supply disruptions, and leaving families with higher energy costs, higher food prices, and ever-greater climate losses”.

He noted that homegrown renewables, now the cheapest, fastest, and most dependable source of electricity, remain the way forward.

The UN chief called for faster and collaborative efforts to end dependence on fossil fuels “to build the grids, storage, and modern power systems to carry clean energy to every home”.

He emphasised the importance of addressing climate threats and urged greater resilience to deliver climate justice, including fulfilling financial promises and supporting developing countries in building and benefiting from the transition.