The planet is in the midst of a climate crisis of epic proportions, with unparalleled extreme weather, flooding, drought and wildfires. In the face of these calamities, the global average temperature has continued to rise, with “no improvement” seen since 2021.
A new report from Climate Action Tracker (CAT) — released on Thursday at the United Nations COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan — has found that, under current policies, the world is on track toward 2.7 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of the century.
“We are clearly failing to bend the curve,” said lead author of the report Sofia Gonzales-Zuñiga, senior climate policy analyst with Climate Analytics, in a press release from CAT.
This year has shown “minimal overall progress,” with nearly no new net zero pledges or national climate targets, the press release said. Fossil fuel emissions continue to rise, despite repeated promises by governments to strengthen their targets for 2030 and align them with the Paris …