GERMANY: Alarming reports on greenhouse gases! Scientists have warned of “unprecedented” levels of global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions at an all-time high. The world is running out of its “carbon budget” to stay below 1.5C over pre-industrial temperatures, as per a study published in Earth System Science Data.
Despite a significant decline in 2020 when Covid lockdowns were in place in several nations, greenhouse gas emissions have continued to climb.
New insights into world emissions of greenhouse gases
This decade is crucial for climate change, according to Prof. Piers Forster, head of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures at the University of Leeds. To prevent the buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere, only 250 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide can be released into the sky. This is down from 500 billion tonnes just a few years ago, and the degree and intensity of the effects will depend on decisions taken now.
The most important details are that the rate of yearly emissions growth has been slowing, but more action is needed. A major UN climate summit, Cop28, will take place in the United Arab Emirates in November, and governments are gathering in Bonn to prepare. Cop28 is one of the last chances to stay within 1.5C of the Paris climate agreement’s targets.
Sultan Al Jaber, the president-designate of Cop28, is facing pressure to devise a strategy for negotiations to bring about a “course correction” in Bonn. He is still in charge of Adnoc, the national oil firm of the UAE, which intends to boost its capacity.
Al Jaber has promised to offer a “business mindset” and energise the private sector in the negotiations, but activists are protesting his conflict of interest. Governments will conduct a “global stocktake” at Cop28 to determine if they are on track to reduce emissions. Al Jaber has received plaudits from important participants, but activists are protesting his conflict of interest.
The document released on Thursday shows how far off course the globe has veered. To stay below the 1.5C limit and achieve net zero emissions by 2050, the world’s greenhouse gas emissions must be nearly half by 2030. However, emissions have been steadily increasing, so the yearly rate of emission reduction must now be significantly steeper if we want to keep below the 1.5C limit.
Joeri Rogelj, professor of climate science at Imperial College London, believes that to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2030, either the date must be pushed back to 2035 or larger cuts must be made. Energy-related emissions are plateauing, but only 18 nations have demonstrated consistent reductions in emissions.
The UAE will not use the global stocktake to publicly punish countries for not meeting their Paris Agreement or reducing emissions quickly enough.
According to Majid Al Suwaidi, the director general of Cop28, climate change is an interconnected issue that requires collaboration to find a solution. Everyone has a solution and their own opinions, and if we can unite people behind shared answers and advance the agenda, it can be a powerful moment. Cop28 is aiming for this, as per Suwaidi.
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