Earth nears 1.5°C warming threshold; UN report raises fresh climate concerns for India
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, September 3, 2026: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has raised fresh concerns over accelerating global warming, warning that the world is moving closer to the 1.5°C temperature threshold and highlighting the growing risks for countries such as India, where agriculture, water resources and large sections of the economy remain closely linked to climate and seasonal patterns.
The warning is particularly significant for India, where climate-related risks are already being felt through extreme heat, floods, droughts and cyclones. According to World Bank data cited in the report, around 88 per cent of India’s population lives in cities exposed to natural hazards. Research published in 2026 has also found that India’s summer maximum temperatures increased by about 1°C between 1981 and 2020, contributing to a rise in heatwave events.
The report highlights growing threats to food and water security, with extreme heat, changing monsoon patterns and phenomena such as El Niño potentially affecting agricultural production. It also points to rapid changes in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, where the rate of glacier loss has accelerated sharply since 2000, raising concerns over water availability, flash floods and other climate-related disasters in vulnerable mountainous areas.