Margins can no longer adapt as world nears 1.5°C overshoot

Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of the Archdiocese of Suva and Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of the Diocese of Kalookan have spoken out as the world approaches a 1.5°C global warming overshoot. The warnings come as the UN Environment Programme released its Limiting Overshoot Spotlight Report, which states that current policies will fail to limit global warming to the 1.5°C threshold established by the Paris Agreement.

The report suggests that while overshoot is occurring, it should serve as a reason for urgent action rather than resignation by providing pathways for mitigation and adaptation. This urgency is particularly relevant for people in island and low-lying nations facing increasingly extreme seasonal weather. In the Pacific, submerged atolls face long-term devastation with no possibility of recovery.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is highlighting the need for action ahead of the COP31 climate conference scheduled for November 2026 in Antalya, Türkiye. Despite a coalition of 57 countries formed during the Santa Marta Conference in April 2026 to transition away from fossil fuels, observers note a lack of focus on the continued overuse of fossil fuels by major economies.