UN Overshoot Report is a Rallying Cry, Not a Death Knell

WASHINGTON, D.C. —Global temperatures will likely exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in the next few years, but it is not too late to bring temperatures back down over the longer-term, according to a new United Nations report. The report makes clear that the world must speed up its embrace and deployment of clean energy, rapidly cut fossil fuels consumption, but also look at other technologies to cut greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Countries will also need to invest much more to prepare for increasingly extreme climate-driven weather events. Separately this week scientists noted that this summer is on pace to be the hottest in history. 

A statement follows from Manish Bapna, President of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council): 

“This sobering report confirms what scientists have long been warning—but equally important is their message that we can still right the ship. This is not a death knell, but a rallying cry to act now to protect ourselves, our children and future generations. 

“We are entering uncharted and increasingly risky territory, and how we respond will determine our fate. If we use this moment to accelerate global clean energy investments and shift to a more inclusive and sustainable food system —as well as adapt to the impacts of our changing climate—hope is not lost.  

“Luckily, one of the most important solutions to this threat is also the cheapest and fastest to deploy. Clean energy already makes up the bulk of new energy generation coming online globally, but we have to pick up the pace. As dirty energy costs in the U.S. and around the world rise, it can also help alleviate the financial woes plaguing families and countries alike. 

“The science is telling us now we must run full speed ahead—toward cheap, clean energy and natural climate solutions, and away from volatile, expensive fossil fuels. Toward building resiliency, particularly in the places that will be hardest hit by worsening climate-fueled unnatural disasters—and away from leaving people in harm’s way. There is no time to waste.” 

More Information: 

• Manish outlines reforms that can accelerate the deployment of clean energy in the U.S. here in a recent Democracy Journal piece: How to Build an Affordable Energy Future  
• The U.N. report notes the need to look more closely at other technologies to lessen the impact of climate change. NRDC’s Jackie Wong recently blogged about NRDC’s participation in a group laying out guidelines and guardrails for studies around solar radiation management: Ignorance Is Not an Option: Why NRDC Is Engaging on Solar Geoengineering 
• Manish outlines priorities for New York Climate Week, which now arrives at an even more critical moment with this news, in a recent blog: NRDC at Climate Week NYC 2026: Meeting the Moment 
• A new NRDC report recently tallied the costs of the Trump administration’s recent moves away from clean energy in the U.S., finding it is causing utility bills to spike by an average of $230/year: NRDC Report: How Trump’s Actions Are Hiking Utility Bills and Destroying Investments 
• NRDC’s Joe Thwaites offers a midyear report card on international climate funding: Midway Through a Tumultuous 2026, Where Do We Stand on International Public Climate Finance? 
• NRDC's Shruti Shukla discusses the rise of electrification as a growing central pillar of climate action and the guardrails needed to deliver it with clean power, affordable finance, and commitment to equity: Electrification Is Having Its Climate Moment. Can the World Deliver? 
• Manish reflects on how we should deal with these issues from a personal and policy perspective on NRDC’s podcast, What the Earth  

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).