UN Report Card
According to the UN report (published on Friday), the world is significantly off track to meet the long-term climate goals of the Paris Agreement.
The overarching climate goals of the Paris Agreement were to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and “limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”
Under the UN report card’s section on findings, Key Finding 1 states that “since its adoption, the Paris Agreement has driven near-universal climate action by setting goals and sending signals to the world regarding the urgency of responding to the climate crisis. While action is proceeding, much more is needed now on all fronts."
2015 Paris Agreement
The 2015 Paris Agreement has aided climate action by providing a global framework to help developing nations adapt to climate-friendly systems. However, the global failure to reduce fossil fuel consumption has played a significant role in our failure to meet climate goals. The UN report states that a crucial climate summit in Dubai at the end of the year will take place to focus on energy transition.
Meeting the Paris Agreement is vital to the livelihood of planet Earth. Climate change has already brought about thousands of natural disasters and killed an average of 45,000 people per year, such as the recent cyclone in southern Brazil which destroyed thousands of lives.
G20 nations
G20 (the Group of Twenty) is a union of 21 members: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.
The purpose of G20 is to use their significant resources and important economies to navigate the global economy through the significant challenges it faces. This union meet annually and plays an essential role in governing major international affairs.
This group accounts for approximately 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, therefore playing a significant role in the climate crisis. To tackle this, G20 have previously agreed to globally triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. Leaders aimed to reduce their use of coal, but avoided reference to phasing out all polluting fuels (the burning of fossil fuels). This inefficient action has contributed to the UN’s report that global greenhouse gas emissions are far off target in their recent assessment.
Dubai climate summit 2023
The International Climate Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will be the 28th Conference of the COP (Parties on Climate Change). It will take place from November 30 to December 23.
The failure to remain on track with the Paris Agreement will be further discussed, focusing on energy transition. The COP 28 Presidency aims to facilitate global transformation towards a low-emission and climate-resilient world, fostering ambitious climate action and implementation with support.
Edited by: Anwen Venn
