National

Climate Crosswords: World Warming At An Accelerating Pace

GLOBAL – Efforts to limit climate-damaging fossil fuels have not been enough, and the world is on course to miss its climate goals, as data from some of the world’s leading scientific agencies show global warming has sped up since the mid‑2010s.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Jasmin Brown

GLOBAL – Efforts to limit climate-damaging fossil fuels have not been enough, and the world is on course to miss its climate goals.

Data from some of the world’s leading scientific agencies show global warming has sped up since the mid‑2010s.

In 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted at COP21 to combat climate change by limiting global warming.

It came into force on November 4, 2016, and relies on nationally determined contributions that require countries to set, report, and strengthen emission-reduction targets every five years.

However, has it been effective?

The world meteorological organization’s Global Atmosphere Watch Network shows concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide climbing to record highs.

Scientists say it’s driving the temperature spike observed from 2023 to 2025.

Global fossil fuel carbon dioxide emissions were projected to climb to a record 38.1 billion tonnes in 2025, where it’s driven by rising coal, oil, and gas use despite rapid growth in renewable energy, according to the latest global carbon budget report.

The report which was produced by an international team of more than 130 scientists, estimated global fossil fuel CO2 emissions would rise above pre‑industrial levels.

However, the regional trends are mixed as emissions were projected to increase in 2025 in China, India, the United States, and the European union, while falling in Japan.

When it comes to combatting the issue, experts are calling for a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy by adopting electric vehicles, improving public transit, and relying more on sustainable agriculture & land use.