National pledges ‘far from enough’ to halt global warming: UN
Carbon-cutting pledges from 146 nations are “far from enough” to stave off dangerous global warming, the UN warned Friday, three weeks ahead of a crucial climate summit in Paris.
The voluntary efforts to curb greenhouse gases — if respected — would only yield a third of the cuts needed by 2030 to keep Earth from overheating, according to a UN Environment Programme report.
Countries have made “an historic level of commitment” with their pledges, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said in a statement.
“However, they are not sufficient to limit global temperature rise to the recommended level of two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) this century.”
Beyond that threshold, scientists say, lies a climate-addled world plagued by deadly drought, superstorms, and mass migration.
The emissions reduction plans — called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, or INDCs — would result in a temperature hike of 3.0 C (4.8 F) or more by 2100, UNEP said.
Other scientific estimates have varied between 2.7 C and 3.5 C.
The annual “Emissions Gap” analysis tracks the difference between projected CO2 pollution, on the one hand, and the levels required to stay under the UN 2 C target, on the other.
This year’s report is the first to take into account greenhouse gas reduction promises made ahead of the November 30-December 11 summit, tasked with delivering the first-ever universal climate pact.
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