Context:

Recently, a research paper published ahead of 30th Conference of Parties (COP30), being held in Belém, Brazil, from 10 to 21 November 2025 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) framework. The research paper revealed the alarming trends of climate change during 21st centuary.

Key scientific findings:

1. Accelerating Global Warming:

Recent data updated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) shows that:

• • The average global temperature is now rising at 0.27°C per decade, nearly 50% faster than during the 1990s and 2000s.
  • The world has already warmed by 1.3–1.4°C above pre-industrial levels and is on track to breach the 1.5°C limit by 2030.
  • Sea levels are rising at 4.5 mm per year, more than double the rate recorded in the 20th century.

2. Looming Climate Tipping Points:

Scientists are increasingly worried that several planetary systems are nearing irreversible thresholds:

• • Coral reefs are undergoing mass bleaching and potential collapse due to marine heatwaves.
  • The Amazon rainforest risks transforming into a savannah if deforestation and warming continue.
  • Greenland’s ice sheet melt could trigger a slowdown or collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), altering Europe’s climate.
  • Antarctic sea ice loss exposes dark ocean surfaces that absorb heat, accelerating warming and threatening marine ecosystems dependent on phytoplankton.

3. Land on Fire:

The 2025 State of Wildfires Report found that 3.7 million sq km burned between March 2024 and February 2025—an area nearly the size of India and Norway combined.

4. Deadly Heat and Human Health:

Heatwaves are becoming the deadliest natural hazard globally:

• • The WHO and WMO estimate that half of the world’s population is already facing dangerous heat exposure.
  • Worker productivity falls 2–3% for every degree above 20°C, with economic losses exceeding $1 trillion globally in 2024.
  • Europe recorded over 62,000 heat-related deaths last summer, highlighting the growing human cost of warming.

Conclusion:

The latest findings confirm that climate change is accelerating beyond earlier predictions. It is clear that without rapid, coordinated global mitigation and adaptation efforts, the world risks crossing multiple tipping points within the next decade. For policymakers, COP30 must be a turning point from pledges to performance, guided by evidence-based, equitable, and urgent climate action.