National Current Affairs
Emissions Gap Report 2025
- 08 Nov 2025
- 3 min read
Why in News?
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released its Emissions Gap Report 2025, titled “Off Target”, warning that current climate pledges under the Paris Agreement are insufficient to meet the 1.5°C target.
Key Points
- Projected Warming Levels:
- Under the current policies, the world is projected to warm by approximately 2.8°C by 2100.
- If all Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are fully implemented, the projected warming could be reduced to around 2.3–2.5°C by the end of the century.
- Only a marginal improvement from last year’s (2024) estimate of 2.6–2.8°C, showing limited new ambition.
- Influencing Factors:
- Methodological adjustments improved projections by 0.1°C.
- US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement expected to offset the same 0.1°C gain.
- Reduction Targets by 2035:
- To limit global warming to 2°C, global greenhouse gas emissions must decline by 35% below 2019 levels by 2035.
- To achieve the more ambitious 1.5°C target, emissions need to fall by 55% below 2019 levels within the same period.
- However, UNEP warns that a temporary overshoot of the 1.5°C threshold is very likely within the next decade, underscoring the urgency for deeper and faster emission cuts.
- Positive Indicators:
- Projected temperature rise has dropped from 3–3.5°C (2015) to around 2.5°C (2025), reflecting progress since the Paris Agreement.
- Solar and wind technologies are rapidly scaling, cutting deployment costs globally.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- Established in 1972, following the UN Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm).
- Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya
- Acts as the leading global environmental authority, coordinating international environmental efforts and assisting nations in implementing sustainable policies.
- Flagship Reports:
- Emissions Gap Report
- Adaptation Gap Report
- Global Environment Outlook (GEO)
