The IPCC Sixth Assessment Synthesis Report (2023) presents the most comprehensive overview of the state of global climate science to date. It confirms with high confidence that human activities, particularly greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and industrial processes, have unequivocally caused global warming of approximately 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900). This warming has resulted in widespread changes to the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, and biosphere. Climate change has already led to severe and widespread impacts across natural and human systems, including more frequent and intense heatwaves, heavy precipitation, sea-level rise, glacier retreat, biodiversity loss, and heightened food and water insecurity. These impacts disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations, particularly in least developed countries (LDCs), small island developing states (SIDS), and Indigenous communities, who have contributed the least to the problem.
Despite growing international policy efforts such as the Paris Agreement, adaptation and mitigation actions remain insufficient in scale and speed. Technological advances in renewable energy, electric mobility, and low-emission infrastructure show promise, especially as costs fall rapidly. However, emissions continue to rise across all major sectors, and global finance for climate action falls short of what is needed. The report stresses that immediate, deep, and sustained emissions reductions are necessary to limit warming to 1.5°C or 2°C, and that integrating equity, justice, and climate-resilient development into policy design is essential. Transformative governance, inclusive decision-making, and systemic change across energy, land, urban systems, and industrial sectors are identified as urgent and feasible pathways for avoiding the most dangerous impacts of climate change.