World on track for 2.6C warming as climate action falls short: UN
09:49, 21/10/2026, WednesdayU: Update: 10:35, 21/10/2026, Wednesday
AFP
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The United Nations warned on Wednesday that global climate commitments are falling "dangerously short" of Paris Agreement goals, putting the world on track for 2.6 degrees Celsius of warming this century as emissions remain at record levels and major economies fail to deliver promised cuts.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Wednesday that the world is falling "dangerously short" on climate commitments, with global temperatures on track to rise 2.6 degrees Celsius by 2100 even if current pledges are fully implemented.
Record emissions gap
The annual Emissions Gap Report by the United Nations Environment Programme found that global greenhouse gas emissions in 2025 remained at record levels seen in 2024, while carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels continued to climb despite international agreements. "The world can no longer avoid overshooting the 1.5 degree limit, and the consequences are already devastating," Guterres said in a statement accompanying the report, citing deadly floods and brutal heatwaves already hitting vulnerable populations.
US and major emitters
The United States recorded the largest emissions increase among major economies, adding 133 megatons of CO2 equivalent driven by surging electricity demand and coal power generation, while Türkiye — which is hosting the COP31 climate summit in Antalya from November 9-20 — registered the second-largest jump. Inger Andersen, UNEP's executive secretary, told reporters that no country remains immune from impacts being felt "on every nation on the planet, including the US", as the G20 accounts for three-quarters of global output but continues to fall behind reduction targets.
Leadership failure
Scientists warn that limiting warming to 1.5C now requires immediate emissions cuts of six percent annually until 2035 alongside massive carbon dioxide removal, a target nowhere near current projections. "This is a historic failure of political leadership," said Mohamed Adow, director of Kenya-based think tank Power Shift Africa, noting that governments have chosen "delay over action" despite decades of clear warnings. Guterres acknowledged a climate "leadership gap" but stressed that overshooting 1.5C "is not surrender" as negotiators prepare to convene in Türkiye next month.