The world has just eight years to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, according to a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latest UNEP Emissions Gap Report has found that new and updated emissions commitments made by countries, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), only reduce predicted 2030 emissions by 7.5%. A drop of 30% is needed to stay on the \u201cleast-cost pathway\u201d for 2C, and 55% is needed to meet a temperature limit of 1.5C. (The least-cost pathway uses the cheapest combination of options to mitigate climate change.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report<\/a> found the latest climate promises for 2030 put the world on track for a temperature rise by the end of this century of at least 2.7C from the pre-industrial baseline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Commenting ahead of this year\u2019s UN climate talks, known as COP26, the executive director of UNEP Inger Andersen has urged nations to take actions that include supporting developing countries to reduce emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a statement, she said: \u201cWe have eight years to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions: eight years to make the plans, put in place the policies, implement them and ultimately deliver the cuts. The clock is ticking loudly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her comments come against a background of a post-pandemic emissions bounce-back. Atmospheric concentrations of all major greenhouse gases continued to rise in 2020 and carbon dioxide concentrations are currently higher than at any time in the last two million years.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe have eight years to make the plans, put in place the policies, implement them and ultimately deliver the cuts. The clock is ticking loudly.<\/blockquote>Inger Andersen, UN Environment Programme<\/cite><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n