UN Climate Chief Says Government Pledge To Cut Emissions Not Enough To Stop Global Warming
31 October 2015, 8:33 am EDT
By Katherine Derla
By Katherine Derla
As climate change continues to worsen, several governments sent their pledges to cut emissions of greenhouse gases to help keep global warming levels from going over two degrees Celsius by 2050. Still, these efforts might not be enough to render change, said UN climate chief. ( Xenja Santarelli | Flickr )
The effects of global warming have been prevalent. Studies have also shown that it doesn't just affect the environment and wildlife, it could also hurt the global economy and make the world poorer by 23 percent towards the end of the century due to a drop in per capita income. This climate change-driven economic crisis further divides the rich and poor nations.
As global warming levels continue to creep up, many United Nations (UN) governments sent pledges and strategies to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris is set to kick off in December but the UN chief said these pledges might not be enough to render change.
The UN evaluation of the 146 pledges sent prior to the Paris conference found that the intiative can lower global emissions per capita by 8 percent come 2025 and 9 percent come 2030, an improvement from the 1990 statistics. These pledges from 146 countries, which the UN dubbed as "Intended Nationally Determined Contributions," (INDCs) make up almost 90 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
The UN's evaluation did not analyze how the pledges would directly contribute to the mission of keeping the global warming levels below two degrees Celsius by the century's end while keeping pre-industrial statistics in mind. However, the UN climate chief referred to the assessment of an International Energy Agency, who said that the pledges could lead to a 2.7-degree rise with action. With no action, the pledges could then result to a four- to five- degree surge.
"These national climate action plans represent a clear and determined down-payment on a new era of climate ambition from the global community of nations. Governments from all corners of the earth have signaled through their INDCs that they are determined to play their part according to their national circumstances and capabilities," said Figueres.
The UN and the conference hosts hope that the nations would come up with an agreed mechanism for regular reviews. Furthermore, they hope that the pledges from the INDCs could be updated every five years to further intensify their contributions.
The 2015 climate change conference in Paris is attest for diplomatic development. Six years ago during the Copenhagen conference, the UN failed to agree on a strong deal regarding climate change.
