Climate crossroads: A decade after the Paris agreement

PARIS, Feb 16: Ten years after the Paris Agreement took effect, newly released climate datasets show the world warming at an accelerating pace, with 2025 ranking among the three hottest years ever recorded, and sea ice, ocean heat and sea levels crossing new thresholds.

Efforts to limit climate-damaging fossil fuels have not been enough and the world is on course to miss its climate goals. Data from some of the world's leading scientific agencies show global warming has sped up markedly since the mid 2010s.

The World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) Global Atmosphere Watch network shows concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide climbing to record highs, driving the temperature spike observed from 2023 to 2025, scientists say.

Global fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions are projected to climb to a record 38.1 billion tonnes in 2025, driven by rising coal, oil and gas use despite rapid growth in renewable energy, according to the latest Global Carbon Budget report.

The report - produced by an international team of more than 130 scientists - estimates global fossil fuel CO? emissions will rise 1.1% next year, pushing atmospheric CO? concentrations to roughly 52% above pre industrial levels.

Researchers warn there is only room for about 170 billion more tonnes of CO? - equivalent to roughly four years of emissions at current rates - if the world wants to cap global warming at 1.5° Celsius above the pre-industrial average.

Regional trends are mixed: emissions are projected to increase in China, India, the United States and the European Union, while falling in Japan.

The map shows global countries' territorial and consumption-based CO? emissions in 2024.    �"REUTERS