The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says the world is now on track to move beyond the 1.5°C warming threshold set by the Paris Agreement. In its latest assessment, the agency argues that the next phase of climate action must focus not only on cutting emissions, but also on removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
UNEP describes this approach as an "overshoot, peak and decline" pathway: temperatures rise above the target temporarily, then gradually fall as emissions drop sharply and carbon-removal methods expand. That would require near-total emissions cuts by mid-century, alongside large-scale deployment of solutions such as reforestation, ecosystem restoration, and carbon capture and storage.
The report marks a notable shift in tone, stating that staying below 1.5°C is no longer a realistic outcome. Instead, the goal must be to limit how far warming exceeds that level and to build the capacity to bring temperatures back down later this century.
According to UNEP, the challenge is not only technical but also logistical. Current carbon-removal projects remain limited in scale, and the amount of storage needed for captured carbon would be immense. The report also notes that land-based solutions must be managed carefully to avoid pressure on agriculture and to protect long-term ecosystem health.
Still, the agency says rapid investment, stronger governance, and coordinated innovation could make carbon removal a meaningful part of the climate toolkit. Inger Andersen, UNEP's executive director, said the decisions made in the coming years will shape whether a path back toward 1.5°C remains available.
If scaled responsibly, carbon removal could become one of the defining climate technologies of the future, helping societies move from adaptation toward long-term restoration.
