Global temperatures could rise by 2.8°C above pre-industrial levels this century unless governments strengthen climate action, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned.
Gatekeepers News reports that UNEP’s 2026 Emissions Gap Report, titled The Point of Return, says national commitments remain insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement’s temperature goals.
Delivering existing climate pledges and sustaining comparable efforts could limit warming to 2.6°C. Even fulfilling those pledges alongside additional net-zero targets would leave projected warming at about 2.1°C.
UNEP said limiting the extent and duration of warming above 1.5°C would require emissions cuts of 18 per cent by 2030, 45 per cent by 2035 and 69 per cent by 2040, measured against 2025 levels.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged governments to keep pursuing the temperature goal.
“Overshoot is not surrender. We can still keep it as small and as short as possible,” he said.
UNEP called for faster renewable energy deployment, lower fossil fuel use and stronger measures against methane emissions and deforestation ahead of COP31 in Turkey.
