The United Nations’ top climate official is pressing governments to move faster, warning that current national pledges are still nowhere near enough to keep global warming within the Paris Agreement target. With COP31 set for next year, the message is blunt: time is slipping away.

According to the latest warning, existing climate plans would leave the world on a path well above 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. That level of overshoot would raise the risks of more extreme heat, stronger storms, rising seas and deeper damage to communities already facing climate shocks.

The call for urgency comes as countries prepare for another round of negotiations under the UN climate framework. Climate talks have repeatedly produced broad promises, but far more ambitious emissions cuts and faster financing are still needed if governments want to close the gap between rhetoric and real-world action.

With COP31 approaching, pressure is building on major emitters to submit stronger commitments and on wealthier nations to back those goals with credible support. For many vulnerable countries, the issue is no longer whether the warning signs are clear, but whether leaders will act before the window for limiting the damage narrows further.