Exceeding key climate target is now 'imminent and unavoidable', United Nations warns

Exceeding a key global climate target is now "imminent and unavoidable", United Nations (UN) scientists have warned.

It coincides with a new report by MPs today that said Britain urgently needed new equipment to cope with the growing danger of wildfires, driven by global warming.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said the world would soon blow through the goal of limiting warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, reaching at least 1.7C even in a best-case scenario.

This temperature threshold was a key part of the landmark 2015 UN Paris Agreement.

It was designed to stave off increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather events, including heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and flooding.

The outgoing UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said breaching the target does not mean further effort is futile.

"Overshoot is not surrender," he said.

"We can still keep it as small and as short as possible - and bring temperatures back below 1.5C by the end of the century."

But reversing the trend would require far greater cuts to emissions than forecast. UNEP said emissions would have to fall by 45% by 2035, relative to 2025 levels, but are currently on track for only 11-15%.

Leaders are due to discuss the topic at the UN COP31 climate summit in Turkey next month.

Britain 'needs firefighting planes by January'

Meanwhile a group of MPs today warned Britain is "woefully unprepared" for the threat of wildfires, after near-record blazes torched homes and national parks this summer.

The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee highlighted critical gaps in Britain's capabilities, including a total lack of dedicated firefighting planes and insufficient water supplies, with farmers and volunteers often having to pick up the pieces.

Fires should be regarded as "part of our new reality", the MPs said, as they called for a new national wildfire strategy, along with an Australian-style public awareness campaign.

While most UK fires are started by human activity, increasingly hot and dry summers driven by climate change are increasing the risk.

MPs said firefighting aircraft should be brought in as soon as January 2027, adding that temporary bans on some barbecues would be needed at times, like the one introduced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham this summer.

Committee chair Alistair Carmichael (Lib Dem) told Sky News: "This year's record-breaking summer of wildfires was the most devastating our country has ever seen, and Britain was shown to be woefully unprepared.

"In too many locations our fire and rescue services didn't have the resources they needed, or even the water supply to stop fires spreading."

Affected communities told the committee of the "cumulative, psychological toll" of constantly being on alert, and of people coughing up ash and black dust days after a fire.

A government spokesperson said improving wildfire preparedness is a priority, and it has already launched a new pilot scheme of specialist firefighters.

This week it is convening a summit of ministers, fire services and land managers to "understand how we can strengthen the response to this increasing risk".

(c) Sky News 2026: Exceeding key climate target is now 'imminent and unavoidable', United Nations