World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Study on Global Warming

World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Study on Global Warming: Recently, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported that global temperatures have remained 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for nearly two consecutive years.

o This marks a stark warning, as the Paris Agreement urged nations to limit warming to 1.5°C as a 20-year average.

• About Paris Agreement: A legally binding international treaty on climate change, adopted by 196 Parties at COP21 in Paris on 12 December 2015, and came into force on 4 November 2016.

o Its main objective is to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to restrict it to 1.5°C.

o The 1.5°C target has gained urgency in recent years, as scientific findings from the IPCC indicate that surpassing this threshold could trigger more intense droughts, heatwaves, and extreme rainfall events.

o To stay within the 1.5°C limit, global greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 and fall by 43% by 2030.

o The Agreement is a landmark in climate diplomacy, uniting all countries for the first time in a binding commitment to tackle climate change and adapt to its consequences.

o It functions through a five-year cycle of increasing climate ambition. Countries submit Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) outlining actions to cut emissions and build climate resilience. Each new NDC should be more ambitious than the previous one.

o At COP27, countries were urged to revisit and strengthen their 2030 NDC targets by the end of 2023 to better align with the 1.5°C goal, while considering national circumstances.

o Countries are also encouraged to submit Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS), which provide a vision for sustainable, low-emission development. While not mandatory, LT-LEDS complement NDCs by framing them within a long-term planning context.