Earth Today | Small islands continue to eye 1.5 temperature goal

SMALL ISLAND developing states have made another plug for countries to comply with the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature goal, to limit global warming.

“What is the truth for small island developing states and least developed countries? The truth is that we are dangerously close to a 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming overshoot, driven by the actions of bigger countries – and unless we push forward on the path of course correction as we advance from COP30, leaders are dooming our world to disaster,” read a November 22 statement from the Alliance of Small Island Developing States.

The statement came as another global climate talks closed, after two weeks of deliberations, this time in Belém, Brazil (November 10 to 21, 2025).

“The truth is that countries agreed on the Paris Agreement text in clear terms, yet many commitments have not been kept,” it added.

The Paris Agreement sets out clear terms for “holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, recognising that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change”.

“The truth is that right now, our people are losing their lives and livelihoods from storms of unprecedented strength which are being powered by warming seas. The truth is that our coral reefs, the lifeblood of our islands’ food systems, culture, and economies, are at a tipping point in die back at 1.3 degrees Celsius. Forest ecosystems are at a tipping point. The window to protect lives and economies is closing,” AOSIS noted.

As such, the group of 39 small island and low-lying coastal developing states said the COP30 outcome must advance momentum for “urgent action to close the ambition and implementation gaps”.

“AOSIS expresses our appreciation to all countries which have helped us forge progress here, amidst a difficult geopolitical context. However, there can be no doubt that we collectively must do much more to achieve our Paris Agreement temperature goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Our vulnerable communities are counting on us to speak this truth to power on their behalf,” the group said.

The changing climate presents a range of risks and threats and, in particular, for Caribbean and other SIDS, given their small size, geographical location and fragile economies.Those risks include extreme hurricane events, the catastrophic and far-reaching nature of which has come home strongly to many, with the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

The hurricane entered Jamaica as a Category 5 event – the first the country has ever seen – packing wind speeds of up to 185 mph (or 295 km/h), inundating sections of the island with rainfall and storm surges and leaving a trail of destruction and devastation in its wake, with lost lives and livelihoods, as well as billions of dollars in damage.

For small island developing states, reaching for the 1.5 target as the limit for global warming, through scaled-up mitigation ambitions from developed countries, is key to helping to guard against another such event.

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