COP27: World will increase emissions 10.6pct by 2030 - UN

If countries fulfil their current climate commitments, global greenhouse gas emissions will rise by 10.6 percent by 2030 compared to 2010 levels, according to a United Nations report released yesterday.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says a 43 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 is needed to limit warming to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.

With world leaders expected to gather in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt for the COP27 climate summit from Nov 6, experts said more action was urgently needed.

“At the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow last year, all countries agreed to revisit and strengthen their climate plans,” the executive secretary of UN Climate Change, Simon Stiell, said in a statement.

“The fact that only 24 new or updated climate plans were submitted since COP26 is disappointing.”

These include Bolivia, Vanuatu and Uganda, as well as the large emitter nations of India and Indonesia.

The latter, which sees most emissions come from deforestation and peatland clearance, now says it will cut emissions levels by at least 31.89 percent by 2030.

Globally, inadequate pledges put the world on a path to warming by 2.5 degrees Celsius by 2100.

Still, a 10.6 percent increase in emissions represents slight progress. Last year’s UN assessment found countries were on track to up emissions by 13.7 percent by 2030.

- Reuters