The United Nations (UN) has issued a warning that the world is significantly off track in achieving the goals set out in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, according to its first Global Stocktake report on the treaty's progress. While the Paris Agreement has driven climate action, the report highlights the urgent need for further efforts in reducing carbon pollution and increasing financing for the developing world, Al Jazeera reported.
Although the Paris Agreement has led to contributions that have lowered forecasts of future warming, it is clear that the world is not on course to meet its long-term goals, as outlined in the treaty. Specifically, the report points out that there is a rapidly diminishing window of opportunity to implement existing commitments to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a key objective of the Paris Agreement.
The Global Stocktake report stresses that global greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2025 and then decrease significantly to keep the 1.5-degree target within reach. Achieving the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by mid-century, another key Paris Agreement objective, will require radical decarbonization, including phasing out the use of fossil fuels that cannot capture emissions.
The timing and approach to eliminating fossil fuels from the global economy will be a major topic of debate at the upcoming COP28 talks in Dubai, which involve representatives from 196 nations.
Additionally, the report emphasizes the need to substantially increase the deployment of clean energy, including scaling up renewable energy sources. It also underscores the importance of phasing out all unabated fossil fuels, referring to fossil fuels without technologies in place to capture emissions at the source or from the atmosphere.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the leaders of G20 nations to take significant action to address the escalating climate crisis. He noted that the G20 countries, including China, the United States, the European Union, and India, are collectively responsible for 80% of global emissions. Guterres stressed that half-hearted measures would not be sufficient to avert a full-scale climate breakdown.
Moreover, the Global Stocktake report highlights the pressing need to substantially increase financial support to developing nations. These countries require assistance in adapting to climate-amplified weather disasters, which are already causing economic hardships. Many African nations, already burdened with debt, are struggling to transition away from fossil fuels while grappling with the economic toll of worsening droughts, floods, heatwaves, and storms.
Follow Daryo's official Instagram and Threads pages to keep up to date on world news.
Comments (0)