World to warm by nearly 3 degrees Celsius without aggressive action, warns UN report

Countries’ current emissions pledges to limit climate change would still put the world on track to warm by nearly 3 degrees Celsius this century, according to a United Nations analysis released on November 20, 2023.

The annual Emissions Gap report, which assesses countries’ promises to tackle climate change compared with what is needed, finds the world faces between 2.5°C and 2.9°C of warming above preindustrial levels if governments do not boost climate action.

At 3 C of warming, scientists predict the world could pass several catastrophic points of no return, from the runaway melting of ice sheets to the Amazon rainforest drying out.