Paris: The United Nations sounded a dire warning on Tuesday, highlighting a lack of global progress in curbing climate change.
An evaluation of current climate commitments revealed minimal advancement in reducing emissions over the coming decade. Instead of the 43% suggested by experts, only a 2% fall is likely to be achieved by 2030, reported AFP.
In a report released just before crucial climate negotiations, the UN climate change organisation emphasised the world's inadequate response in addressing the urgency to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The assessment revealed that the combined climate strategies of almost 200 nations would only marginally reduce carbon emissions by 2% below 2019 levels by 2030.
This trajectory falls significantly short of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommendation of a 43% reduction in emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.
Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change chief, stressed the pivotal role of COP28 in Dubai this month, urging it to mark a decisive turning point amidst escalating floods, heatwaves, and storms globally. The report highlighted scientists' warnings that the world is precariously close to surpassing the 1.5C global heating threshold, which could intensify climate impacts.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underscored the insufficient action by countries to avert a climate catastrophe, urging an immediate and substantial leap in climate ambitions worldwide.
The assessment of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement revealed a modest improvement, projecting an 8.8% rise in emissions by 2030 compared to 2010 levels. However, this represents only a fractional enhancement from the previous assessment's findings.
The global stocktake in September emphasised that greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025 and precipitously decline thereafter to uphold the 1.5C limit.
The COP28 discussions, centralising debates on the future of fossil fuels, stand as a crucial platform for addressing the widening gap between actions and scientific imperatives.
A recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report indicated substantial production increases in major petrostates, significantly exceeding emissions compatible with limiting warming to 1.5C.
Tom Evans from think tank E3G stressed the importance of the forthcoming climate targets due by 2025, underscoring their critical role in bridging the gap and redirecting climate strategies towards aligning with global warming limits. He emphasised the necessity of ensuring these targets effectively close the gap, acknowledging it as humanity's singular opportunity to address the looming climate crisis.