UN Reports Countries’ Climate Plans Insufficient to Limit Global Warming
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has recently released the National Contribution Declarations (NDC) Synthesis Report, showcasing countries’ commitments to combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The report includes NDCs from 195 countries party to the Paris Agreement, covering 95 percent of global emissions which totaled 52.9 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2019. The NDCs submitted are projected to result in a 2.6 percent reduction in global emissions by 2030 compared to 2019 levels.
Despite this progress, the report highlights that the current commitments fall short of the 43 percent reduction deemed necessary by scientists to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius as outlined in the Paris Agreement. The UNFCCC has called for more ambitious national climate plans to be developed and swiftly implemented to avert catastrophic global warming.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell emphasized the urgency for new, robust climate plans to be established by all countries. He stressed that the current commitments are insufficient to prevent the devastating impacts of climate change on lives, economies, and livelihoods worldwide. Stiell outlined the potential benefits of ambitious climate plans, including increased investments, economic growth, job creation, improved public health, and access to affordable and clean energy.
Stiell warned that if the current climate plans are fully executed, emissions will only decrease by 2.6 percent by 2030 from 2019 levels, falling short of the necessary reductions to avert a climate crisis. He underscored the need for a significant increase in action and targets to meet the IPCC’s recommendations of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent by 2030 and 60 percent by 2035 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and prevent severe climate impacts.
The release of the NDC Synthesis Report serves as a critical moment for countries to reassess their climate commitments and accelerate efforts towards a sustainable, low-carbon future.
