Global Warming on Track to Hit 2.6°C by 2100 — Reports Warn of “Catastrophic Era”

By Staff, Agencies

Two major climate reports warn that the planet is on course to warm by 2.6°C by the end of the century, as fossil fuel emissions reach record highs and countries fail to meet their pledges under the Paris Agreement.

The Climate Action Tracker found that global climate commitments remain far too weak for the fourth year in a row, projecting a temperature rise that would usher in a “catastrophic new era of extreme weather, crop failure, and mass displacement.”

A separate study by the Global Carbon Project (GCP) predicts a 1% increase in fossil fuel emissions this year — a slower pace than previous decades but still incompatible with climate targets.

While renewable energy growth is accelerating, it has yet to offset the world’s rising energy demand.

“A world at 2.6°C means global disaster,” warned Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, citing risks of ocean current collapse, coral reef extinction, Amazon dieback, and severe droughts.

Global temperatures have already risen by about 1.3°C since the Industrial Revolution, driving deadly wildfires, floods, and heatwaves.

Yet, fewer than half of countries have updated their national climate plans, and even with net-zero pledges, warming is expected to reach 2.2°C — worsened by the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under Donald Trump, who dismissed climate change as a “hoax.”

Despite these setbacks, scientists note modest progress since 2015, when projections exceeded 3.6°C, largely due to a surge in clean energy and declining coal use. However, weakened natural carbon sinks — particularly tropical forests — are now turning from CO₂ absorbers into emitters, further deepening the crisis.