With COP30 imminent, a recent UN report has revealed that only 64 countries have submitted new climate action plans, despite a collective requirement to do so. The submitted plans, while showing some progress towards carbon emissions reduction, are deemed insufficient to meet the critical threshold of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
The report indicates that the combined pledges from these nations will not prevent worldwide temperatures from surpassing this dangerous level, highlighting an urgent issue for global leaders set to gather in Belém, Brazil, next week. Ten years after the landmark Paris Agreement was adopted, countries are facing scrutiny over their commitments to reduce carbon emissions.
Despite many extensions of the submission deadline, only 64 nations, accounting for roughly 30% of global emissions, have provided updated pledges. The ongoing climate crisis requires a significant increase in ambition, as experts assert that a reduction of up to 57% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 is necessary to keep the 1.5°C goal achievable.
IDeal circumstances should see some of the world's largest carbon producers, including India and Indonesia, present their carbon reduction plans at the upcoming COP30, which could considerably influence the global outlook for emissions reduction.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has indicated that the threshold for 1.5°C is likely to be breached permanently within the next few years if current trends continue, adding urgency to the discussions at COP30. Overall, there is cautious optimism that significant commitments could emerge from this critical global summit.
