UNEP calls for urgent, bolder actions to tackle huge gaps in climate targets

Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-01 01:42:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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GENEVA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Governmental pledges in the Paris Agreement only bring a third of the reduction in emissions required by 2030 to meet climate targets, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) said on Tuesday, appealing for an urgent increase in actions from both governments and non-state actors.

The Paris Agreement looks to limit global warming to under two degrees Celsius, with a more ambitious goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius also on the table. Meeting these targets would reduce the likelihood of severe climate impacts that could damage human health, livelihoods and economies across the globe.

However, even a full implementation of current pledges is likely to lead a temperature increase of at least three degrees Celsius by 2100, let alone that the United States, one of the top emitters worldwide, is planning to leave the Paris Agreement in 2020, according to the UNEP's Emissions Gap Report released Tuesday.

"One year after the Paris Agreement entered into force, we still find ourselves in a situation where we are not doing nearly enough to save hundreds of millions of people from a miserable future," said UNEP head Erik Solheim.

"This is unacceptable. If we invest in the right technologies, ensuring that the private sector is involved, we can still meet the promise we made to our children to protect their future. But we have to get on the case now," he continued.

In addition to bigger pledges from governments, the report appeals to the private sector, cities and others to urgently pursue actions that will bring deeper and more-rapid cuts of emissions, particularly in agriculture, buildings, energy, forestry, industry and transport.

The key to success would be investing in technologies, such as solar and wind energy, efficient appliances, efficient passenger cars, afforestation and stopping deforestation.

Meanwhile, reductions in short-lived climate pollutants, such as black carbon and methane, could also help reduce impacts that are based on cumulative heat uptake and help to ensure a steady and lower temperature trajectory towards the long-term Paris goals.

The report calls on G20 countries, which are collectively on track to meet its Cancun climate pledges for 2020, to carry out actions that lead to short-term reductions and open the way for more changes over the following decade.

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