Experts warn of intensifying climate disasters as World Environment Day 2026 highlights urgent action

Stakeholders from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Lagos and Edo State in Nigeria, emphasized that the climate crisis is a present-day emergency impacting economies, public health, food systems, and national security. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the past eleven years have been the hottest on record, with the world heading for a temporary overshoot above the Paris Agreement target of 1.5 degrees Celsius. He called for immediate global action, including rapid emissions reduction, transition to renewable energy, and fulfillment of climate finance commitments to developing countries.

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Rashad Ismayilov, stated that no country is immune, highlighting his country's commitment to nearly doubling renewable energy capacity by 2030. The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, described climate change as a defining challenge, urging wealthy nations, major polluters, and citizens to prevent further environmental degradation. Over 2,000 climate events worldwide commemorated the day, with cities like Lagos joining UNEP’s 50@50 initiative to prepare for extreme heat.

In Lagos, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Olalekan Rotimi-Akodu, announced a N2.5 million tree-planting prize and plans to plant 500 tree