BERLIN (HPD) — Current commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions put the planet on track to exceed the global warming limit agreed by countries in the 2015 Paris climate pact, according to the United Nations.
The United Nations climate office said on Wednesday that its latest estimate, based on national emission targets for 193 countries, sees a rise of 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 Fahrenheit) over the pre-industrial average for end of the century.
This is one degree above the ambitious target set in the Paris pact to limit warming to 1.5 C (2.7 F).
The report indicated that emissions will increase by 10.6% by 2030 from 2010 levels, a slight decrease from the 13.7% estimated last year.
Scientists say that, in reality, emissions of gases that warm the planet must be reduced by 45% by the end of the decade.
“We are still nowhere near the scale and pace of emission reductions required to move towards a 1.5 degree Celsius world,” office director Simon Stiell said in a statement. “To keep this goal alive, governments need to strengthen their climate action plans now and implement them over the next eight years.”
The report was released ahead of next month’s UN climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, at which nations will once again try to raise their targets.
___
The climate and environment coverage of The Associated Press is supported by several private foundations. The HPD is solely responsible for the content.