UN warns carbon emissions cuts are ‘miles short’ of what’s needed to avoid devastating global warming

Greenhouse gas levels rose to record levels in 2023, condemning the planet to rising temperatures for years to come, a UN weather monitoring body said on Monday.

According to a bulletin from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere faster than at any time in human history. In just two decades, concentration has increased by 11.4 percent.

The increase in atmospheric CO2 in 2023 was higher than in 2022, but lower than three years earlier. It was the second-highest annual growth in the past decade. Large wildfires and a possible reduction in forest carbon sequestration, coupled with persistently high CO2 emissions from human activities, have contributed to this increase.

WMO reports that globally averaged surface concentrations greenhouse gases Concentrations of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide increased in 2023. CO2 concentrations reached 151 percent of pre-industrial levels, methane reached 265 percent, and nitrous oxide reached 125 percent.

News comes earlier COP29 Climate Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan next month. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo says this should “sound the alarm” for decision-makers.

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“We are clearly falling behind the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to well below 2°C and reaching a target of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

“This is more than just statistics. Every part per million and every fraction of a degree of temperature rise has a real impact on our lives and our planet.”

National climate plans fall ‘far short’ of needed emissions cuts

On Monday, the UN also published a separate report summarizing countries’ current Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs.

National policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have been found to lag significantly behind what is needed to limit greenhouse gas emissions. catastrophic global warming.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says emissions need to be cut by 43 percent by 2030 to stay within the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C.

Current policy calls for cutting global emissions by 51.5 gigatons of CO2 by the end of the decade—just 2.6 percent lower than 2019.

As districts work on new, stronger NDCs due next February, the report shows little progress has been made since last year and commitments fall far short of what is needed. This is putting increasing pressure on world leaders to make ambitious progress at COP29 in Baku this November.

“The report’s findings are stark but not surprising: Current national climate plans fall far short of what is needed to stop global warming from harming every economy and destroying billions of lives and livelihoods in every country,” says Simon Still, UNFCCC executive secretary. UN.

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“In contrast, much bolder new national climate plans can not only prevent climate chaos – if done right, they can transform people’s lives and bring prosperity to every country.”

Still added that the report’s findings should mark a “turning point” by serving as a “straightforward reminder of why COP29 must remain in place and deliver results.”

This happens after a stark warning last week from the UN Environment Programwhich says the chances of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels are “virtually zero.”