The World at a Crossroads: Why New Fossil-Fuel Expansion Plans Threaten the 1.5°C Climate Goal — and What Climate Week/UNGA 2025 Reveal About the Road Ahead
Summary (quick take): New analyses released ahead of Climate Week and the UN General Assembly in late September 2025 reveal a stark mismatch between national plans for fossil-fuel extraction and the international goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C. While global leaders meet in New York and parallel summits press for climate action and investment in clean energy, multiple major producers are planning to increase production — a divergence that scientists and campaigners say could render the 1.5°C target unattainable unless governments rapidly change course. This article examines the evidence behind the claim, the politics shaping national choices, the economic tensions involved, and the practical levers — from finance to regulation to technology — that could still steer the world away from the worst outcomes. The Guardian +2 Axios +2 1. A report that reframes the scale of the problem As world leaders gathered in New York for Climate Week and the UN General Assembly in September 2025, pol...