Kenya: The United Nations has warned that the world’s emissions-cutting pledges are significantly insufficient for mitigating the impacts of climate change. According to the analysis, Earth may undergo a potentially catastrophic increase of 2.9 degrees Celsius this century.
The UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) annual Emissions Gap report assessed countries’ promises to tackle climate change against the action needed. According to reports, this year is expected to be the hottest in human history.
“The world is witnessing a disturbing acceleration in the number, speed, and scale of broken climate records,” the UNEP noted.
The report found the world faces between 2.5C and 2.9C of warming above preindustrial levels on current commitments if governments do not urgently take necessary climate action.
Scientists predicted that the world could pass several catastrophic points of no return, from the runaway melting of ice sheets to the Amazon rainforest drying out, and leave vast swathes of the planet essentially uninhabitable for humans.
The UN Secretary-General, Mr. Antonio Guterres, called for “dramatic climate action” at the COP28 climate talks, which will begin in Dubai on November 30.
“Leaders can’t kick the can any further. We’re out of road,” Mr. Guterres remarked, condemning a “failure of leadership, a betrayal of the vulnerable, and a massive missed opportunity”. The UN chief added that the world “must reverse course” and make a decisive move away from polluting coal, oil, and gas.
The report further noted that greenhouse gas emissions must fall by 42 percent by 2030 to hold warming at 1.5C. “But even in the most optimistic emissions scenario, the chance of now limiting warming to 1.5C was just 14 percent,” the report added.
UNEP chief, Mr. Inger Andersen, commented that it was crucial that “G20 nations—the world’s wealthiest economies, together responsible for about 80 percent of emissions—step up and lead on reductions, but lamented that some were in snooze mode”. According to the analysis, none of the G20 nations had reduced emissions in line with their targets.
TOP PICKS | French President urges Israeli PM for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
