- According to the findings, current pledges would still lead to about 2.3 to 2.5 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of the century.
- This is only a slight improvement, and the difference is so small that it offers little comfort.
Climate change is becoming harder to ignore as extreme weather events unfold across the world, and two new reports released within the past year shed light on unfolding climate realities.
One of them, prepared by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)and the Copernicus Climate Change Service, focuses on Europe’s experience in 2024.
The other, published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), examines global climate pledges and the future they set the world on. Together, their findings form a clear picture of a planet under growing pressure.
The European report notes that 2024 was the continent’s warmest year on record. Temperatures climbed far above normal, leading to an unsettling mix of heat, heavy rainfall and unusually dry conditions in different regions.
Southeastern Europe suffered extreme dryness and unusual warmth, while Central and Eastern Europe battled floods. More than 300 people lost their lives in these events and hundreds of thousands were affected.
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The situation placed enormous strain on communities and national emergency services. Even so, the report highlights that many cities continued to expand renewable energy generation and strengthen their climate adaptation plans, showing that progress remains possible even during difficult periods.
The UNEP analysis shifts attention to the broader global picture. It reviews the climate pledges countries have submitted under the Paris Agreement and evaluates what those commitments mean for future temperature rise.
According to the findings, current pledges would still lead to about 2.3 to 2.5 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of the century. This is only a slight improvement, and the difference is so small that it offers little comfort.
The report makes it clear that the world is likely to exceed the 1.5 degree mark, which is widely considered a critical threshold for the most severe impacts of climate change.
Without deeper cuts in emissions, the risks of severe heatwaves, destructive storms and prolonged droughts will continue to grow.
Both reports underscore how climate change is no longer a distant concern. The extreme conditions seen in Europe are part of a wider pattern that scientists have been warning about and that UNEP’s projections describe with increasing urgency.
The rising temperatures, the unusual storms and the widespread flooding Europe experienced in 2024 are a glimpse into what more regions, including Africa, may face if global action remains slow.
At the same time, the growing use of renewable energy and the efforts of many cities to adapt show that action is possible and that the tools needed to slow down climate change already exist.
The challenge lies in speeding up that action. UNEP points out that renewable technologies are widely available and increasingly affordable.
What continues to hold back progress is the slow pace of political decisions and the limited investment directed toward climate solutions.
The science is clear, the impacts are visible and the tools are on the table, but the gap between what is needed and what is being done remains dangerously wide.
Taken together, the two reports remind us that climate change is shaping the present while also defining the future.
The experiences of today reveal what is at stake, and the projections for tomorrow show how urgent stronger action has become.
The world has the knowledge and the capacity to reduce the harm, but it will require commitment and speed from countries everywhere.
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