Global heating will hit at least 1.8C, UN warns—1.5C goal ‘unavoidably’ missed.

The world is now set to warm by at least 1.8°C above pre-industrial levels, even under the most optimistic future scenarios, according to a new UN report. That overshoots the 1.5°C target set by the 2015 Paris agreement, which scientists say is critical to limiting the worst effects of climate change. The report, released by the UN Environment Programme in Nairobi, confirms that staying within 1.5°C is now “unavoidably” out of reach. It warns that every additional fraction of a degree will intensify destructive extreme weather, accelerate glacier melt, drive ecosystem loss, and threaten the survival of islands and coastal cities. Despite some progress in cutting emissions from burning fossil fuels, the report says the world is likely to cross the 1.5°C threshold within the next few years. However, scientists stress that deep, rapid emissions cuts—combined with removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere—could still bring global temperatures back down to 1.5°C by the end of the century. The report underscores that there are “no good outcomes” from current trajectories, but immediate action can limit long-term damage.