A UN warning, two climate weeks, and the systems work in between
14/09/2026
Dear Planetary Steward,
Last week UNEP’s new report, Limiting Overshoot, confirms that the world is set to cross 1.5°C of global warming within the next few years, pushing climate risks to increasingly dangerous levels for people and ecosystems alike. The most optimistic scenario projects a peak at 1.8°C, with other pathways suggesting even higher temperatures. The report outlines an “overshoot, peak, and decline” pathway as the best remaining option to minimize the damage and eventually bring temperatures back below 1.5°C. But this requires urgently moving toward net-negative emissions through urgent and sustained carbon dioxide removal and robust adaptation strategies. Action must be prompt to reduce harm to lives and livelihoods around the world from increasing frequency of climate disasters – such as the current severe flooding in Pakistan, recent glacial collapse and catastrophic flash floods in Nepal, to wildfires in the US, where more than 8.3 million acres have burned so far this year.
From destabilizing ice sheets to disrupting ocean currents, each year spent in overshoot increases the risk of irreversible tipping points. But the size and length of that overshoot is still being determined by the decisions governments, businesses, and communities make this year. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated: “We must make the overshoot above 1.5 degrees as small and short as possible. That demands an overshoot of ambition.” At the Global Commons Alliance, we believe the transition to a just world on a safe planet must be rooted in equity, resilience, and safeguarding of the global commons. Now is the time to ensure our collective actions lead not just to stabilization, but to restoration.
This week the UNFCCC Climate Week 4 is taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, the fourth in its ongoing series of regional Climate Weeks that bring governments, UN bodies, and civil society together between the big annual COP summits to work on implementing climate commitments rather than just negotiating new ones. Its centerpiece is an Implementation Forum which ends today, focused on turning existing pledges into concrete action.
From September 20-27, the GCA Secretariat will be on the ground at Climate Week NYC 2026, joining thousands of business, political, and civil society leaders converging in New York for the world’s largest climate gathering. It’s a moment when the urgency of reports like Limiting Overshoot meets the hard work of building the systems that can actually change our trajectory: reshaping finance, food, energy, and so many other sectors so they operate within planetary boundaries rather than against them. No single sector or institution can do this alone, which is exactly why the GCA Secretariat, members and partners will be there to connect the scientists, funders, city leaders, and businesses who are each holding a piece of the puzzle. See a full events calendar here.
As well as co-hosting an event with ClientEarth to explore how governments can strengthen strategic resilience and planetary stewardship in an era of climate risk, conflict, and economic volatility, we are also bringing like-minded funders together for an event to discuss opportunities to support vital science and civil society collaboration to drive systems change. Contact us now to attend either of these events or to connect in New York.
If you’re following along from afar, keep an eye on our Linkedin where we’ll be sharing highlights and key moments as they happen. And if you haven’t already, we invite you to take a few minutes to share your views in our short survey. Tell us what’s working, what’s not, and what you’d like to see more of. Driving urgent systems change at all levels requires collective insight, starting with yours.
With all our best,
Will Tucker, Co-Director (Communications and Resource Mobilization), and Sebastian Schienle, C0-Director (Partnerships and Programs), Global Commons Alliance.
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