Inconsistent pledges pull back climate change effort
At least 12 G20 members have pledged a net-zero target, but they are still ambiguous. Out of nine G20 member plans assessed in the report, five are on a linear pathway to net-zero. PHOTO | FILE
The world is still on the perilous path to a global temperature rise of 2.7 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, even with the new pledges to reduce emissions in an attempt to curb climate change.
Describing them as weak, the global authority for the environment—United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) — says new and updated Nationally Determined Contributions only take 7.5 percent off predicted 2030 emissions—only a fraction of the 55 percent that needs to be taken off to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius Paris Agreement target.
