Photo source: ©© Ray Wewerka
Excerpts;
A day before the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change comes into force, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is urging the world to ‘dramatically’ step up its efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions – by some 25 per cent more than those pledged in Paris last year – “to meet the stronger, and safer, target of 1.5 degrees Celsius” global temperature rise.
The world is still heading for temperature rise of 2.9 to 3.4? this century, even with the pledges made last December by States Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), according to UNEP, which explains, “this means we need to find another one degree from somewhere […] to have any chance of minimizing dangerous climate change.”
UNEP made the announcement today in London as it released its annual Emissions Gap report, which found that 2030 emissions are expected to reach 54 to 56 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. The projected level needed to keep global warming from surpassing 2°C this century is 42 gigatonnes.
In early October, the Paris Agreement cleared the final threshold of 55 countries representing 55 per cent of global emissions required for the accord to enter into effect, now set for tomorrow. The next meeting of Parties to the UNFCCC, known by the shorthand COP 22, kicks off Monday in Marrakech.
Scientists around the world agree that limiting global warming to 2°C this century (compared to pre-industrial levels) would reduce the probability of severe storms, longer droughts, rising sea levels and other devastating climate-related events. However, they caution that even a lower target of 1.5°C will reduce rather than eliminate impacts…
Read Full Article, UN News Center (11-03-2016)
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