Why in the news?

  • UNEP released the Emission Gap Report 2025 edition.

Emissions Gap Report, 2025

  • What is it?: The Emissions Gap Report 2025 assesses the gap between current global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trajectories and the emission levels needed to meet the Paris Agreement goals.
  • Released by: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  • Key Findings:
    • Global GHG emissions are at an all-time high and still rising, despite pledged emissions reductions.
    • To remain on a “least-cost pathway” for 1.5 °C warming, global emissions must fall by ~42 % by 2030 (from 2019 levels) and ~57 % by 2035.
    • Current national pledges and policies would likely lead to warming of ~2.3-2.6 °C by the end of the century.
    • The report calls for a “quantum leap” in ambition in the next round of national contributions (NDCs) and immediate operationalisation of mitigation actions.
    • Delays in action increase costs, risks and reduce available options to stay within 1.5 °C.
  • Challenges Identified:
    • Many national climate targets (NDCs) are still not sufficient to meet global pathways aligned with 1.5 °C.
    • Implementation gaps in policies
    • Higher cost, stranded assets and locked-in carbon infrastructure.
    • Capacity, finance and technology barriers remain especially for developing countries, raising issues of equity, just transition and support.
    • There is a risk of overshooting 1.5 °C, closing many options for safe transitions, increasing climate-risk exposure.