September 2, 2026 | 04:37 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) reported on Wednesday that global temperatures are expected to exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels within the next few years, potentially increasing the risk of disasters and health threats. The report emphasizes that limiting the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius or less by the end of the century is necessary to reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.
According to ANTARA, November 2026 marks exactly 10 years since around 190 countries and regions, including Japan, agreed to the Paris Agreement as an international framework to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the intense heat waves, wildfires, and floods experienced this summer are a stark warning of what lies ahead. He stressed the importance of keeping any period of global warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius as brief as possible. He urged the world to show greater courage and ambition in tackling the climate crisis, calling for action that goes beyond current commitments.
Based on current policies, global warming is projected to reach approximately 2.6 degrees Celsius by 2100, according to the report. Even if all participating countries meet their greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and achieve net-zero emissions by balancing emissions with sequestration by forests and other systems, temperatures are projected to rise by approximately 1.8 degrees Celsius.
A rise in temperature will exacerbate extreme weather events, the loss of ecosystems, and the risk of small island nations being submerged. The impacts also include serious disruptions to human health, food security, water supplies, and infrastructure.
If global temperatures rise by 3 degrees C this century, glaciers are expected to lose over a quarter of their mass by 2100. This would cause sea levels to rise by 9 to 13 centimeters.
Professor Richard Betts of the University of Exeter, who contributed to the report, said that rising temperatures make events such as the flash floods in Nepal and China in August increasingly likely. However, Betts said the situation can still be prevented from worsening significantly through efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and limit further global warming.
The report states that to lower the temperature after it has exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius, the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed or removed must exceed the amount of emissions.
However, the report positions carbon dioxide reduction as a supplementary measure, rather than a substitute for primary efforts to reduce emissions.
Read: As Glaciers Melt, Can Communities Be Protected?
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