UNITED NATIONS: With the 1.5°C temperature limit officially breaching, the UN has warned the world must slash emissions 18% by 2030 and 45% by 2035—while sucking 320 billion tonnes of CO2 from the air—just to reverse the peak by 2100.

The recommendation comes in the Emissions Gap Report 2026: The Point of Return, published on Wednesday by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on Wednesday.

It outlines a “lowest possible” overshoot scenario in which peak warming by roughly mid-century is limited to 1.7 to 1.8°C.

Achieving this requires slashing emissions by 18 per cent by the end of the decade, 45 per cent by 2035, and 69 per cent five years later, compared with 2025 levels.

“Overshoot is not surrender,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message accompanying the report.  “We can still keep it as small and as short as possible – and bring temperatures back below 1.5 degrees by the end of the century.”

The report argues that there are more opportunities than ever to step up action.

Since adoption of the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which set the 1.5-degree target, renewable energy has boomed, total energy supply from coal and oil has grown slower than projected and climate policies have cut emissions in many places.

UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen underscored the cost of inaction.

“Every additional fraction of a degree and additional year of warming above 1.5°C increases climate impacts and risks, such as the deadly floods, heatwaves and wildfires that have plagued many nations this year,” she said.

“So, we must pull out all the stops to minimize peak warming and return to 1.5°C by the end of the century”, she added, stressing that “this is possible”.

If current policies continue, warming could reach 2.8°C within this century and increase thereafter, the report warned.

Under the Paris Agreement, countries are required to submit national climate action plans, or NDCs, and even if all are delivered and similar efforts continue, warming will be limited to 2.6°C.

These outcomes are worse than last year’s projections, the report said, due to the United States withdrawing from the climate deal and revised estimates of historical emissions.

Meanwhile, new NDCs submitted since the last emissions report have hardly made a difference.

Yet, returning to or below the 1.5 threshold can be done, particularly as evidence increasingly shows how climate policies have reduced emissions.

The report calls for accelerating implementation of goals outlined during the first-ever Global Stocktake (GST) – a process held from 2021 to 2023 to assess collective progress towards achieving the Paris Agreement.

These include:

— Tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030

— Shifting away from fossil fuels in energy systems

— Reducing non-CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions

— Halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation

However, according to the report,  progress across most of these goals remains insufficient.

The second GST – which begins next month at the UN COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Turkiye – can build on this by reaffirming priority mitigation action areas, extending quantified goals to 2035 and 2040, and making existing action areas more tangible through clearer and, where possible, quantified targets.

The report sets out benchmarks that would have to be hit to be consistent with the lowest overshoot scenario.

For example, extending the goal on transitioning from fossil fuels would require reducing the share of coal, oil and gas in total energy supply by at least 55, 15 and five per cent respectively by 2035, relative to 2025 figures.

Reductions of at least 75, 30 and 35 per cent would be required in 2040, the report added.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to open its economy to promising international markets and consult globally recognised economic experts to advance the country’s economic growth and prosperity.

The prime minister expressed these views during a meeting with Peter Briggs, Managing Director of North American Operations at international consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M).

Shehbaz Sharif said that after achieving economic and fiscal stability, the government was taking effective measures to introduce deep-rooted structural reforms and promote export-led growth and a productive economy.

He highlighted the government’s focus on improving the performance and efficiency of the domestic manufacturing sector while taking measures to attract foreign direct investment (FDI).

The prime minister said the government was pursuing a strategy to assess the economic viability of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and subsequently move towards privatisation to support the national economy and promote growth.

Emphasising the importance of expertise and professional capacity, Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan recognised the need for qualified professionals and expert teams to strengthen its economic growth engine.

He added that Pakistan was ready to establish productive partnerships with international consulting firms to support economic growth while ensuring tangible results and accountability.

Briggs thanked the prime minister for the meeting and appreciated the government’s commitment to attracting foreign investment and engaging with international economic experts.

He also expressed A&M’s eagerness to cooperate with Pakistan to promote a progressive business environment and a productive economy.

Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi and senior government officials also attended the meeting.

HYDERABAD: The Azadar Rabita Committee Hyderabad has strongly condemned the alleged desecration of a historic Alam Pak in Patasha Gali, Hyderabad, and demanded immediate legal action against those responsible for turning the sacred site into a garbage dumping point.

In a statement, the committee’s patron Zawwar Abdul Sattar Dars, Chief Organiser Ali Gohar Chandio, City Organiser Jam Shamshad Ali Jokhio, Advisory Council member Zahid Sharif Sheikh and others said that disrespecting the religious sanctities of any sect or faith was not only deeply hurtful to followers but could also constitute a serious offence under the law.

They called upon the authorities to take immediate and strict legal action against anyone found involved in deliberately desecrating religiously sacred places or attempting to create sectarian or religious tension.

The committee leaders said that the Alam Pak at Khambhatian Jo Par, Faqir Ka Par, Patasha Gali, is among the oldest religious sites associated with mourning traditions in Hyderabad. They said its organisers had been compelled to migrate from the area during ethnic disturbances in the city.

Despite their relocation, they added, the organisers continue to return during the annual mourning period to clean and decorate the sacred site and organise the traditional annual Sej Mubarak mourning procession from there.

The statement alleged that after the mourning period concludes, certain individuals in the locality repeatedly dump garbage at the site, turning the sacred place into a waste point. The committee described the practice as highly provocative and said such acts could disturb religious harmony and create unnecessary tension among communities.

The Azadar Rabita Committee urged the Mayor of Hyderabad and the concerned Union Council chairman to immediately arrange proper cleaning of the site and ensure that its sanctity is maintained in the future.

The committee also appealed to the Inspector General of Police Sindh, DIG Hyderabad, SSP Hyderabad and other law-enforcement authorities to investigate the matter and take strict action, in accordance with the law, against anyone found responsible for deliberately disrespecting the sacred site or attempting to incite religious tension.

The leaders stressed that respect for the religious beliefs and sacred symbols of all communities was essential for maintaining peace, tolerance and harmony in society.