The UNEP said that even with new and updated plans and pledges from countries for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade, the world faces global warming of at least 2.7°C by the end of the century.
The latest climate plans and pledges brought forward by countries to tackle emissions in the medium term are likely to reduce emissions by just 7.5 per cent by 2030 compared to their previous commitments, it said. This falls far short of the 55 per cent required to meet the ambition of the Paris Agreement, keeping warming with within 1.5°C of pre-industrial levels. Beyond these levels, warming will pose an existential threat to island nations.
The national plans (nationally determined contributions, or NDCs) previously put forward fell far short of the 1.5°C goal, prompting the submission of updated plans for action up to 2030 ahead of COP26. The UNEP Emissions Gap Report found that these plans still leave the world on course for catastrophic global...