National Targets Cover 75 Per Cent of Global Emissions, Study Finds

Three quarters of global emissions are now limited by national targets, researchers say, raising the prospect of a credible climate change deal being agreed later this year.

The 2015 Global Climate Legislation Study covers 98 countries plus the European Union, which together are responsible for 93 per cent of global emissions.

Of these nations, a total of 53 countries, including the 28 EU member states, have national targets that set either absolute or relative limits on annual emissions of greenhouse gases across their economies.

Lead author Michal Nachmany of the Grantham Institute said the scale of covered emissions would give observers more confidence in the carbon cutting pledges countries will make ahead of the UN climate summit in Paris this December.  To date, the EU and nine countries including the US, Russia, and Switzerland have submitted their intended nationally determined contributions, covering about 30 per cent of global emissions.

"While collectively these pledges are unlikely to be consistent with the international goal of avoiding global warming of more than 2 centigrade degrees, the existence of national legislation and policies should provide the opportunity for countries to strengthen the ambition of their emissions cuts after the summit," Nachmany added.

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