New Delhi/UN, November 5: India has overtaken all other countries in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said in its Emissions Gap Report 2025, warning that global warming is set to intensify with severe environmental and economic consequences.
The report, released on November 4, noted that India and China recorded the largest absolute increases in emissions in 2024, excluding land-use changes, while Indonesia registered the fastest relative growth. Among the six largest emitters—including China, the United States, and Russia—the European Union was the only one to reduce emissions during the year.
“GHG emissions of G20 members account for 77 per cent of global emissions and continue to rise, leaving the world far off track to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target,” the report said.
Despite modest progress in emission reduction pledges under the Paris Agreement, UNEP projected that current global policies could still raise the planet’s temperature by up to 2.8°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100. Implementing all current national commitments could limit warming slightly to 2.3–2.5°C, the report added.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in response to the report, “Scientists tell us that a temporary overshoot above 1.5 degrees is now inevitable – starting, at the latest, in the early 2030s. But this is no reason to surrender. It’s a reason to step up and speed up. 1.5 degrees by the end of the century remains our North Star.”
UNEP noted that even small reductions in emissions could limit damages, loss of life, health impacts, and risks of irreversible climate tipping points. “Minimising overshoot would also reduce reliance on uncertain, risky, and costly carbon dioxide removal methods,” the report stated, noting that each 0.1°C of overshoot would require removing five years of current global CO₂ emissions.
The report warns that without stringent near-term cuts, the multi-decadal average global temperature will likely exceed 1.5°C within the next decade, underscoring the urgency of accelerated climate action.
