New Delhi— India has topped the global list for the highest increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to the Emissions Gap Report 2025 released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report warns that the world is on track for a dangerous rise in global temperatures, far beyond the limits set under the Paris Agreement.
The report highlights that India and China saw the largest absolute increases in total GHG emissions (excluding land use, land-use change, and forestry), while Indonesia registered the fastest relative growth. “The highest absolute increase in total GHG emissions was observed in India and China,” UNEP stated.
The G20 nations, excluding the African Union, were responsible for 77% of total global emissions, which rose by 0.7% in 2024. The UN report also noted that among the six largest emitters — China, the United States, India, Russia, Japan, and the European Union — only the EU managed to reduce emissions during the year.
UNEP’s latest assessment of the Paris Agreement pledges reveals only minor improvement in reducing global warming projections. Current commitments still leave the planet heading toward a catastrophic temperature rise of up to 2.8°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100. Even with full implementation of the updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the global temperature is expected to increase between 2.3°C and 2.5°C, compared to 2.6°C to 2.8°C in 2024.
The report warns that the average global temperature rise will temporarily exceed the 1.5°C limit within the next decade — a threshold scientists say will be nearly impossible to reverse. “Scientists tell us that a temporary overshoot above 1.5 degrees is now inevitable – starting, at the latest, in the early 2030s,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “But this is no reason to surrender. It’s a reason to step up and speed up,” he added, urging nations to accelerate emission reductions.
UNEP emphasized that avoiding each fraction of a degree of warming can significantly reduce the damage to lives, ecosystems, and economies — especially in poorer nations that are most vulnerable to climate change. The report also warned against overreliance on carbon dioxide removal technologies, calling them costly and uncertain.
To limit damage, the report urges rapid and substantial emission cuts this decade to keep the 1.5°C target within reach by 2100. “Stringent near-term cuts could delay the onset of overshoot, but not avoid it entirely,” it said, stressing the importance of minimizing overshoot and preventing irreversible climate tipping points.
