Current emissions pledges will lead to catastrophic climate breakdown, says UN

A man sits next to the carcass of a dead cow in the village of Hargududo, Ethiopia. There has hardly been a drop of rain in Hargududo in 18 months. Photograph: Eduardo Soteras/AFP/Getty Images

Pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions will lead to global heating of 2.5C, a level that would condemn the world to catastrophic climate breakdown, according to the United Nations.

Only a handful of countries have strengthened their commitments substantially in the last year, despite having promised to do so at the Cop26 UN climate summit in Glasgow last November. Deeper cuts are needed to limit temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, which would avoid the worst ravages of extreme weather.