The United Nations says that if current trends continue, the average global temperature could climb by as much as 3.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century.

The UN Environment Programme released a report on Thursday saying that global greenhouse gas emissions in 2023 increased by 1.3 percent from the previous year to a record high of 57.1 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The report says emissions fell by 7.5 percent in the 27 EU countries and 1.4 percent in the United States, while China and India saw increases of 5.2 percent and 6.1 percent, respectively.

The report says that in order to meet the international goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, as outlined in the Paris Agreement, emissions need to be cut by 42 percent by 2030 compared with 2019 levels. The agreement was adopted in 2015 at a UN climate conference known as COP21.

Countries are required to submit their emission mitigation targets for 2035 by next February.

The report says the COP29 talks scheduled in Azerbaijan next month should be used as an opportunity to set even more ambitious goals. It stresses, "Essentially, we would need global mobilization on a scale and pace never seen before."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released a video message to accompany the report.

He said, "There is a direct link between increasing emissions and increasingly frequent and intense climate disasters." He pointed out that people around the world are "paying a terrible price."

Guterres warned that the "report is clear: we're playing with fire; but there can be no more playing for time."