Nepal became the first country approved to receive money from a fund for damages linked to climate change after flash floods in August ۲۰۲۶
In Paris in ۲۰۱۵, almost ۲۰۰ countries signed a landmark agreement designed to limit global warming to ۱.۵C and avoid its worst impacts.
But despite some progress in areas like renewable energy, the world has continued to warm at a rapid pace.
A recent UN report said the target was likely to be breached in the next few years and that "urgent and stringent" action would be needed to return the world to ۱.۵C.
The Paris Agreement is at the heart of the international commitment to tackle rising global temperatures.
It came into force on ۴ November ۲۰۱۶ and saw almost all the nations of the world agree to cut the greenhouse gas emissions which cause global warming.
However, the United States - the world's second biggest greenhouse gas emitter - withdrew from the deal in January ۲۰۲۶ under President Donald Trump.
The US also withdrew during Trump's first presidency, but it rejoined in ۲۰۲۱ under his successor President Joe Biden.
The only other UN member states outside the Paris agreement are Iran, Libya and Yemen.
to "pursue efforts" to limit global temperature rises to ۱.۵C, and to keep them "well below" ۲.۰C above those recorded in pre-industrial times, generally considered to mean the late ۱۹th Century
to achieve a balance - known as net zero - between the greenhouse gases that humans put into the atmosphere and the gases that they actively remove, in the second half of this century
each country to set its own emission-reduction targets, reviewed every five years to raise ambitions
richer countries to help poorer nations by providing funding, known as climate finance, to adapt to climate change and switch to renewable energy
The ۱.۵C target is generally accepted to refer to a ۲۰-year average rather than a single year.
So, while ۲۰۲۴ was more than ۱.۵C warmer than pre-industrial times , it did not mean the Paris Agreement threshold has been breached
Every ۰.۱C of warming brings with it greater risks for the planet, such as longer heatwaves, more intense storms and wildfires, according to climate scientists .
But a very large body of scientific evidence shows that warming of ۲C or more would bring far greater impacts, on top of those felt at ۱.۵C, UN scientists say.
increased risks to food security in some regions due to more extreme weather
greater chances of some climate-sensitive diseases spreading, such as dengue
Some changes could become irreversible if so-called "tipping points" are crossed.
It is not clear exactly where these sit, but once these thresholds are passed, changes could accelerate and become irreversible.
These could include the collapse of the Greenland Ice Sheet , warm Atlantic Ocean currents or further loss of the Amazon rainforest .
How climate change worsens heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods
The Paris deal restated a ۲۰۰۹ commitment that richer countries should provide $۱۰۰bn (£۷۳bn) annually by ۲۰۲۰ to help developing nations deal with the effects of climate change and build greener economies.
Although only $۸۳.۳bn was raised in ۲۰۲۰, data from the OECD , external shows the goal was reached in each of the three years after ۲۰۲۲.
Almost two-thirds of the money in recent years has gone towards efforts to limit global warming, while around a quarter has been used to help nations adapt to climate change.
In ۲۰۲۳, countries agreed for the first time that a fund should be established exclusively for loss and damage . This is money to help countries recover from the impacts of climate change.
Nepal became the first country approved to receive money from the fund after a flash flood in August ۲۰۲۶ killed more than ۱,۴۰۰ people.
At COP۲۹ in ۲۰۲۴, richer nations committed to providing $۳۰۰bn (£۲۱۹bn) a year to developing nations by ۲۰۳۵. Developing countries - which had hoped for more - criticised the "paltry sum".
World leaders meet every year to discuss their climate commitments at international summits known as COPs (Conference of the Parties).
All COPs since ۲۰۱۵ have tracked how countries are building on what they promised in Paris.
At COP۲۸ in ۲۰۲۳ , countries agreed for the first time to "contribute" to "transitioning away from fossil fuels", although they were not forced to take any specific action.
Countries also agreed to treble the global capacity of renewables - such as wind and solar - by ۲۰۳۰.
But the final deal at COP۳۰ in ۲۰۲۵ failed to directly mention fossil fuels. Instead, the host of the conference, Brazil, published a voluntary roadmap for moving away from fossil fuels, which will be discussed at COP۳۱.
That COP is taking place from ۹ to ۲۰ November ۲۰۲۶ in Antalya, Turkey and is co-hosted by Australia .
A "coalition of the willing" composed of ۵۷ countries has also organised its own conferences separate from the COP process to discuss phasing out fossil fuels.
The first meeting was held in Santa Marta, Colombia in April ۲۰۲۶, and another conference is scheduled for July ۲۰۲۷ in Tuvalu.
The long-term ۱.۵C global warming target has not yet been breached.
But the latest UN Emissions Gap Report , external said the limit was likely to be exceeded in the next few years after "decades of insufficient climate action".
In the "lowest possible" scenario, warming would still reach ۱.۷ to ۱.۸C by the mid-century, the report said.
A return to ۱.۵C by ۲۱۰۰ is possible, but it will require "urgent and stringent cuts to greenhouse emissions", the UN added.
Specifically, emissions would need to be cut by ۱۸% between ۲۰۲۵ and ۲۰۳۰.
The report found that the pledges governments have made so far would only cover half of these cuts.
Without further action, global warming could reach nearly ۳C by the end of the century, the research said.

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