Global warming to hit 3°C, report warns

Global warming is likely to hit three degrees Celsius under the current policies, a new multi-agency report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization has warned.

Released on Wednesday, the report indicated that the world is far off track from achieving vital climate goals, noting that impacts of climate change and hazardous weather are reversing development gains and threatening the well-being of people and the planet.

"We need urgent and ambitious action now to support sustainable development, climate action and disaster risk reduction. The decisions we make today could be the difference between a future breakdown and a breakthrough to a better world," Celeste Saulo, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization said.

She said Artificial Intelligence and machine learning have emerged as potentially transformative technologies that are revolutionizing weather forecasting and can make it faster, cheaper and more accessible.

Saulo said cutting-edge satellite technologies and virtual realities that bridge the physical and digital worlds are opening new frontiers in, for instance, land and water management.

"However, science and technology alone are not enough to address global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development alone. In an increasingly complex world, we must embrace diverse knowledge, experiences and perspectives to co-create solutions together," she said.

The report indicated that global greenhouse gas emissions rose by 1.2 percent from 2021 to 2022, reaching 57.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. Globally averaged surface concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide also reached new highs.

When the Paris Agreement was adopted, greenhouse gas emissions were projected to increase by 16 percent by 2030 relative to 2015. That project's increase currently is three percent, meaning progress has been made. However, the emissions gap for 2030 remains high.

To limit global warming to below 2°C and 1.5°C (above the pre-industrial era), the report said global greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 must be reduced by 28 percent and 42 percent, respectively, from the levels projected by current policies.