India, Nov. 6 -- Acharya Prashant

We have begun to speak of the future climate as though we could settle the bill later. We shall keep emitting greenhouse gases, warm the planet beyond the limit we have agreed upon and, when technology has improved, bring the temperature down again. Scientists call this overshoot. The habit is familiar enough: enjoy now, correct later.

The United Nations Environment Programme's October 2026 Emissions Gap Report examines a pathway in which warming peaks around 1.7-1.8degC by mid-century and returns to 1.5degC by 2100. Even on this exceptionally demanding path, the probability of returning is only about fifty percent.

Even if we succeed in bringing the temperature down, what exactly comes back? A fever c...