UNEP: Limiting Warming to 1.5C Requires ‘Fivefold’ Increase in Climate Commitments0

The world is far from being on track to meet its climate targets unless emission-reduction commitments are dramatically expanded, according to the latest UN Environment Programme (UNEP) emissions gap report.

The report suggests that existing nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement are not sufficient.  It adds that emission reductions from climate pledges need “to be roughly tripled” to limit warming to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels in 2100.  Holding warming below 1.5C would require existing commitments to be “increased around fivefold”.

UNEP suggests that it is still possible to “bridge the emissions gap” to keep global warming well below 2C, but the opportunity to limit warming to 1.5C “is quickly dwindling”.  UNEP states that if countries do not make additional commitments before 2030 warming above 1.5C “can no longer be avoided” and even the 2C target would be very difficult to achieve.

The latest edition of UNEP’s annual “emissions gap report” provides a significant update to its 1.5C scenario, in light of the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on the topic.  It now suggests that much steeper emission reductions would be needed before 2030 to put the world on a path to keeping warming below 1.5C.

UNEP warns that “now more than ever, unprecedented and urgent action is required by all nations”.  It highlights that global emissions continued to increase in 2017 – and will likely increase in 2018.

Additionally, UNEP assesses the role that subnational actors, such as cities, regions, and companies, can play in helping fill the emissions gap, stressing the important role for governments in supporting the innovation in and deployment of low-carbon technologies.

Read more at UNEP:  Limiting Warming to 1.5C Requires ‘Fivefold’ Increase in Climate Commitments