Cut global emissions by 7.6% every year: UN report

Cut global emissions by 7.6% every year: UN report

AgenciesUpdated: Tuesday, November 26, 2019, 10:19 PM IST
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Geneva: On the eve of a year in which nations are due to strengthen their Paris climate pledges, a new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report warned that unless global greenhouse gas emissions fall by 7.6 per cent each year between 2020 and 2030, the world will miss the opportunity to get on track towards the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.

UNEP’s annual Emissions Gap Report says that even if all current unconditional commitments under the Paris Agreement are implemented, temperatures are expected to rise by 3.2 degrees Celsius, bringing even wider-ranging and more destructive climate impacts.

Collective ambition must increase more than fivefold over current levels to deliver the cuts needed over the next decade for the 1.5 degrees goal. 2020 is a critical year for climate action, with the UN climate change conference in Glasgow aiming to determine the future course of efforts to avert crisis, and countries expected to significantly step up their climate commitments.

“Our collective failure to act early and hard on climate change means we now must deliver deep cuts to emissions – over 7 per cent each year, if we break it down evenly over the next decade,” UNEP’s Executive Director Inger Andersen said.

“This shows that countries simply cannot wait until the end of 2020, when new climate commitments are due, to step up action. They and every city, region, business and individual need to act now.”

“We need quick wins to reduce emissions as much as possible in 2020, then stronger Nationally Determined Contributions to kick-start the major transformations of economies and societies. We need to catch up on the years in which we procrastinated,” she added.

— IANS

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