The World is Likely to Exceed a Key Global Warming Target Soon
The Emissions Gap Report 2025 reveals that global temperatures are on course to surpass the most ambitious target of the Paris Agreement. Experts describe this as a critical warning from the latest United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, which predicts that within the next decade, temperatures will likely exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
This threshold was once expected to be reached only decades from now, if at all, and staying below it is essential to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.
“Despite all the warnings, the world has continued to emit greenhouse gasses at record levels, so this conclusion wasn’t unexpected,” said Martin Krause, Director of UNEP’s Climate Change Division. “But it should be a wakeup call to everyone. Climate change is real, it’s happening and unless we do something about it soon, the consequences will be severe.”
Background and Implications
It has been more than ten years since the Paris Agreement was signed, aiming to limit global warming well below 2°C and pursue efforts to keep it under 1.5°C.
The Emissions Gap Report 2025 uses modelling to show that current greenhouse gas emissions trajectories are still too high, leading to this likely overshoot.
What Does Overshooting 1.5°C Mean?
- Increased risks of extreme weather events.
- Greater threats to ecosystems and biodiversity.
- Severe consequences for human health, agriculture, and economies.
The report stresses that urgent and decisive action is required to reduce emissions and mitigate these impacts.
Summary
In short, unless significant changes are made swiftly, global temperatures will exceed the 1.5°C target, intensifying climate risks worldwide.
Author’s summary: The UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2025 warns that without urgent action, global temperatures will surpass the critical 1.5°C threshold within a decade, raising severe consequences for the planet.