‘Thundering Wake-Up Call’ In UN Emissions Gap Report
Current Plans for Carbon-Cutting from Countries Leading the World Towards a Massive Climatic Catastrophe
National plans that have been made to cut down the carbon emission have fallen short of what is required to avert the extremely dangerous changes in climatic conditions, according to the United Nations Environment Program. It has been reported by the emissions gap report that the pledges made by the nations to keep the temperature of the globe under 1.5C during the current century are likely to fail.
COP26 summit
It has been suggested by the UNEP (UN Environmental Programme) analysis that the entire world is currently on the course to increase in warmth by 2.7C, which will result in highly destructive results. Although, there is a slight hope that, if the long-term goals have been made to meet with net-zero, the global temperature can have a significant decline.
Just a few days before the opening of COP26 in Glasgow, the emissions gap report was released, which contains scientific data on climate change, which provides another thundering wake-up call, according to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.
This week, a research study has been conducted by the WMO, which showed that the global warming gases had been at a record high level in the past year, despite the onset of the coronavirus pandemic due to which major industries throughout the world had been shut down for temporary time duration.
The year 2021 marks its 12th year; the emissions gap report observed the nationally-determined contributions (NDCs) or the plans to cut down carbon emission that nations have submitted to the United Nations ahead of the climate change summit scheduled to be conducted on November 12.
These pledges were taken by the 120 nations worldwide run-up to the year 2030. It has also been taken into account by UNEP for other kinds of commitments to cut down the gases majorly causing global warming but had not yet formally been submitted in nationally-determined contributions.
The emissions gap report has found out that when the plans are combined together, they are causing a decline in the greenhouse emitted gases by the year 2030 by about 7.5% as compared to the previously taken pledged around five years back.
Prevention of global catastrophe
Although this level is not enough to keep the global temperature below the 1.5C threshold, according to the scientist that had assembled the research study, to be able to keep the 1.5C alive, the world is required to cut down 55% by the same date of 2030. This means that the plans that are being followed currently with respect to emissions gas reports should be seven times more to be able to reach the level of ambition that would help keep the temperature under the controlled level.
The executive director of UNEP, Inger Andersen, said that to have a standing chance to limit the rising temperatures leading to global warming under the threshold of 1.5C, the time duration of eight years has been left to almost half the number of gasses emitted due to carbon consumption. This means that there are just eight years to make proper plans by keeping the data from the emissions gap report, putting the plans into motion along with making required policies, and implementing tightly on them throughout the world, and ultimately delivering the results. The clock is rather ticking very loudly.
According to the research study authors, the pledges currently being followed throughout the world would see global warming by 2.7C at the end of this century. The scenario is being called a climate catastrophe by Antonio Guterres.
He believes that the emissions gap report is able to highlight the disappointment made by the political leaders of the world. The resulting gain from the emission gap report is of a leadership gap, he stated during the launch of the research study. Although, the world leaders would still be able to make this a point to turn back towards a greener future instead of towards the tipping point that is likely to result in a climatic catastrophe.
As suggested by Antonio Guterres, the emission gap report provided some signs of hope.
About 50 nations, along with the European Union, have made pledges towards a target of net-zero for the middle of the ongoing century. The strategies that have been made are to cover over half of the emissions made by the greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
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