The Earth is warming faster than expected. The Paris Agreement (2015) aimed to keep warming below 2 °C, ideally 1.5 °C. Above this, the IPCC (2018) warns, raises the risk of irreversible tipping points: emissions should be halved by 2030 and cut to net zero by mid-century. However, by 2024–2025 global temperature had already passed 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. Governments must accelerate action now. Water shortages will intensify. At 1.5 °C, around 350 million urban residents are projected to face drought-driven scarcity; at 2 °C, the number rises to 410 million. Governments must invest in water security.
