World to surpass 1.5-degree climate goal ‘in the next few years,’ UN warns

The United Nations warns that climate change will soon surpass the critical 1.5-degree Celsius threshold, with the world already at 1.4 C above pre-industrial levels. Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are driving rising temperatures and leading to severe consequences such as extreme weather, rising sea levels, species extinction, and melting ice.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the urgency, stating that humanity is "speeding past the limit to avoid climate catastrophe." To address this, scientists and U.N. officials propose limiting excessive warming and then working to bring temperatures back down to the agreed-upon threshold. However, this will entail decades of increased weather-related disasters, rising sea levels, and other negative impacts.

The report outlines a bleak scenario where global temperatures will pass the 1.5-degree limit within a few years, followed by a "hump-shaped" path of more warming and eventual cooling. The key message is to limit the peak temperature and minimize the time spent above the 1.5-degree threshold. Governments must also adapt to the challenges posed by a "deadlier, hungrier, thirstier world," as the report predicts worsening impacts on food production, water availability, economies, and biodiversity.