Introduction: The Current Status of our Climate

This research paper introduction from the Institute for Security Studies provides an overview of the current global climate crisis, highlighting record-breaking temperatures in 2024, the increasing frequency of weather-related disasters, and the rising scale of climate-induced displacement. It emphasizes the gap between current policies and the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, while noting the persistent rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.

• The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) confirmed that 2024 was the warmest year on record and the first calendar year where global surface air temperatures exceeded the pre-industrial reference period (1850-1900) by 1.5°C.
• There has been a significant increase in the frequency of weather-related disasters over the last two decades. Of the 11,640 weather-related disasters recorded in the International Disaster Database (EM-DAT) since 1984, 62% occurred after 2004.
• Climate-induced internal displacement is increasing, with over 240 million displacements occurring between 2013 and 2023 due to natural disasters, primarily storms and floods. In 2022 alone, 32 million people were displaced in countries including the Philippines, Nigeria, India, China, Pakistan, Somalia, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia.
• Current global climate policies are failing to meet the targets of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aimed to limit temperature increases to below 2°C and strive for a 1.5°C limit; data indicates the 1.5°C threshold has already been breached.

APA

le Roux, A., & Cilliers, J. (2026). Introduction: The Current Status of our Climate. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=14-climate-change&topic=01-intro

Chicago

le Roux, Alize, and Jakkie Cilliers. Introduction: The Current Status of our Climate. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=14-climate-change&topic=01-intro.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=le Roux |first1=Alize |last2=Cilliers |first2=Jakkie |title=Introduction: The Current Status of our Climate |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=29 March 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=14-climate-change&topic=01-intro |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{leroux2026introduction, author = {le Roux, Alize and Cilliers, Jakkie}, title = {{Introduction: The Current Status of our Climate}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=14-climate-change&topic=01-intro}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }