UN: With climate talks in Glasgow so far failing to achieve any of the United Nations' three goals, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees F) is "on life support," but he adds that "hope should be maintained until the last moment." Guterres told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview on Thursday that the United Nations climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, are "at a critical juncture" and must achieve more than securing a weak deal that all participating countries agree to support. "The worst thing that could happen is for us to reach an agreement based on the lowest common denominator, which would fail to address the enormous challenges we face," Guterres said.

This is because the overarching goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century "is still on reach but on life support," according to Guterres. The world has already warmed by 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit), leaving less than a degree until the temperature reaches the critical point.

In a 25-minute interview with the Associated Press, Guterres said, "Now is the time to reach agreement by increasing ambition in all areas: mitigation, adaptation, and finance in a balanced way." The announcement of a deal between the United States and China on Wednesday gave some hope that the talks would progress significantly.

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