Despite global climate pledges, two major new reports reveal that the planet remains on a dangerous path toward catastrophic warming, as fossil fuel emissions hit record levels and climate commitments fall short.
Two newly released major reports show that the world is still on track for a dangerous increase in global temperatures of about 2.6°C by the end of the century. This trajectory persists due to weak national climate commitments and fossil fuel emissions reaching unprecedented highs.
According to the latest update from the Climate Action Tracker, the new government plans to cut emissions have done little—for the fourth year in a row—to significantly curb global warming. The report notes that the expected temperature rise remains unchanged from last year’s projection, keeping the world far above the limits set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. Such a level of warming, the report warns, would push the planet into a new era of extreme weather and severe environmental stress.
A separate report found that fossil fuel emissions driving the climate crisis are set to rise by about 1% this year, reaching a record high, even though the rate of increase has slowed significantly in recent years. Over the past decade, emissions from coal, oil, and gas have risen by an average of 0.8% annually, compared to 2% per year in the decade before it. Renewable energy is expanding at a rapid pace, nearly meeting the annual growth in global energy demand—but not surpassing it yet.
Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, warned that a 2.6°C rise would amount to a “global catastrophe.” Scientists say such warming could trigger massive transformations, including the collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), the loss of coral reefs, long-term degradation of ice sheets, and the conversion of the Amazon rainforest into savannah-like terrain.
