NEWS RELEASE 26-OCT-2021
UNEP Emissions Gap report: Updated climate commitments ahead of COP26 summit fall far short, but net zero pledges provide hope
Latest UNEP Emissions Gap Report finds new and updated Nationally Determined Contributions only take 7.5% off predicted 2030 emissions; 55% is needed to meet the 1.5°C Paris goalReports and Proceedings
UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME
New and updated climate commitments fall far short of what is needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, leaving the world on track for a global temperature rise of at least 2.7°C this century, according to the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) latest Emissions Gap Report 2021: The Heat Is On.
The report, now in its 12th year (available post-embargo at www.unep.org), finds that countries’ updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) – and other commitments made for 2030 but not yet submitted in an updated NDC – only take an additional 7.5 per cent off predicted annual greenhouse gas emissions in 2030, compared to the previous round of commitments. Reductions of 30 per cent are needed to stay on the least-cost pathway for 2°C and 55 per cent for 1.5°C.
Released ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), the latest round of climate talks taking place in Glasgow, the report finds that net zero pledges could make a big difference. If fully implemented, these pledges could bring the predicted global temperature rise to 2.2°C, providing hope that further action could still head off the most-catastrophic impacts of climate change.
However, net zero pledges are still vague, incomplete in many cases, and inconsistent with most 2030 NDCs.
“Climate change is no longer a future problem. It is a now problem,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.
“To stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, we have eight years to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions: eight years to make the plans, put in place the policies, implement them and ultimately deliver the cuts. The clock is ticking loudly.”
As of 30 September 2021, 120 countries, representing just over half of global greenhouse gas emissions, had communicated new or updated NDCs. In addition, three G20 members have announced other new mitigation pledges for 2030. To have any chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, the world has eight years to take an additional 28 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent (GtCO2e) off annual emissions, over and above what is promised in the updated NDCs and other 2030 commitments.
To put this number into perspective, carbon dioxide emissions alone are expected to reach 33 gigatonnes in 2021. When all other CET greenhouse gases are taken into account, annual emissions are close to 60 GtCO2e.
So, to have a chance of reaching the 1.5°C target, we need to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions. For the 2°C target, the additional need is lower: a drop in annual emissions of 13 GtCO2e by 2030.
Zeroing in on net zero
Net zero pledges – and their effective execution – could make a big difference, the authors find, but current plans are vague and not reflected in NDCs. A total of 49 countries plus the EU have pledged a net zero target. This covers over half of global domestic greenhouse gas emissions, over half of GDP and a third of the global population.
Eleven targets are enshrined in law, covering 12 per cent of global emissions. If made robust and implemented fully, net zero targets could shave an extra 0.5°C off global warming, bringing the predicted temperature rise down to 2.2°C.
However, many of the national climate plans delay action until after 2030, raising doubts over whether net zero pledges can be delivered.
Twelve G20 members have pledged a net zero target, but they are still highly ambiguous. Action also needs to be front-loaded to make it in line with 2030 goals. “The world has to wake up to the imminent peril we face as a species,” Andersen added.
“Nations need to put in place the policies to meet their new commitments, and start implementing them within months. They need to make their net zero pledges more concrete, ensuring these commitments are included in NDCs, and action brought forward. They then need to get the policies in place to back this raised ambition and, again, start implementing them urgently.”
“It is also essential to deliver financial and technological support to developing nations – so that they can both adapt to the impacts of climate change already here and set out on a low-emissions growth path.”
The potential of methane and market mechanisms
Every year, the Emissions Gap Report looks at the potential of specific sectors. This year, it focuses on methane and market mechanisms. Reduction of methane emissions from the fossil fuel, waste and agriculture sectors can contribute to closing the emissions gap and reduce warming in the short term.
Methane emissions are the second largest contributor to global warming. The gas has a global warming potential over 80 times that of carbon dioxide over a 20-year horizon; it also has a shorter lifetime in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide – only twelve years, compared to up to hundreds for CO2 – so cuts to methane will limit temperature increase faster than cuts to carbon dioxide.
Available no- or low-cost technical measures alone could reduce anthropogenic methane emissions by around 20 per cent per year. Implementation of all measures, along with broader structural and behavioural measures, could reduce anthropogenic methane emissions by approximately 45 per cent.
Carbon markets, meanwhile, have the potential to reduce costs and thereby encourage more ambitious reduction pledges, but only if rules are clearly defined, are designed to ensure that transactions reflect actual reductions in emissions, and are supported by arrangements to track progress and provide transparency.
Revenues earned through these markets could fund mitigation and adaptation solutions domestically and in vulnerable nations where the burdens of climate change are greatest.
COVID-19 recovery opportunity largely missed
Finally, the report finds that the opportunity to use COVID-19 fiscal rescue and recovery spending to stimulate the economy while backing climate action has been missed in most countries.
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a drop in global CO2 emissions of 5.4 per cent in 2020. However, CO2 and non-CO2 emissions in 2021 are expected to rise again to a level only slightly lower than the record high in 2019.
Only around 20 per cent of total recovery investments up to May 2021 are likely to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Of this spending, almost 90 per cent is accounted for by six G20 members and one permanent guest.
COVID-19 spending has been far lower in low-income economies (USD 60 per person) than advanced economies (USD 11,800 per person). Gaps in finance are likely to exacerbate gaps in vulnerable nations on climate resilience and mitigation measures.
Great news – given increased volcanic activity and natural climate variability that anticipates no warming/cooling within the coming years, we need all the CO2 we can get before suffering from famines and freezing as during the Middle Ages.
Famines? Have you been listening to the UNhinged?
Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has said the country is expected to have a bumper harvest because it has recorded one of the best seasons of crop production this year.
https://www.lusakatimes.com/2021/02/14/zambia-to-record-bumper-harvest-znfu/
South Africa’s Crop Estimates Committee (CEC) is forecasting production at 16.18 million tonnes (Mt), up 5.8 per cent from the 15.3Mt harvested last season.
https://www.graincentral.com/markets/bumper-corn-crop-for-south-african-farmers/
Even basket-case Zimbabwe has had a good year “Zimbabwe forecast to reap biggest maize crop in almost four decades”
Record Grain Harvest In India
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/fy21-foodgrain-output-hit-record-308m-tonnes/articleshow/85260532.cms
Good thing there are no muslim scumbags burning Zambia’s crops and murdering Zambia’s farmer as there are in so many African countries. But not to worry! UN is going to force Zambia to accept muslim scumbags and make them the “security” service for the country.
Perhaps Afghanistan’s descent into chaos might make them think twice about that?
Hey, you might like this deal I know of on a bridge in Brooklyn!
Too late!
“Why an American Bought London Bridge”
https://www.onthisday.com/articles/why-an-american-bought-london-bridge
Get on down to Lake Havasu City.
The US is far too woke for the likes of me.
They see that as a positive, killing children, women and old people IS the UN’s primary function. Well, right after stealing everything they can lay hands on, of course.
I really, really hope we don’t have cooling brought about by volcanic eruptions. It would give the Greens the perfect excuse if their projected warming failed to appear. They would be able to say, “yes, but, if it wasn’t for the eruptions the earth would still be warming, therefore we need to continue our fight against CO2 in preparation for when the ash clouds dissipate”.
What would be the point of pledging anything until China, India etc actually reduced emissions
In the gift that keeps on giving the attempt by China to punish Australia using coal has now caused a shortage of Magnesium as Europe sourced 95% of it’s use from China.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/markets/china-says-the-west-should-respect-its-own-pace-as-europe-and-us-face-magnesium-supply-crisis/ar-AAPYSmB.
This is the sort of fallout the greentards completely overlook in the emission control frenzy.
Show me s. th. Greenies don’t overlook.
In general they never have a general overview.
Socialists in general have an inability to consider the follow on effects to anything they propose.
If the problem is poor people. The solution is to give them money.
Problem solved, now lets tackle something difficult.
If the problem is poor people, the solution is to give them someone else’s money!
In the US there is still no line on the IRS 1040 to add extra funds given to the government because someone thinks the government needs MORE. Why not?? And that one NEW line on EVERYONE”S tax return should be published publicly. Let the liberals put their money where their mouths are.
Democrats sold off America’s self reliance right from when China first began underbidding all resource costs wherein they had interest.
Rare Earths were just one of the resources where China sought a monopoly, no matter how low China had to push pricing.
All subsidized by the West, especially the USA.
We need those Chinese and Indian CO2 emissions! The more the better to keep our plants happy and productive. I have no problem at all with them building coal-burning plants at breakneck speed.
I’m sporadic/intermittent climate refugee from the London’s dark cloudy skies to bright blue French Med, but even there things are not ‘normal’ any longer.
So what is going ‘wrong’ with France. Most of french know of the ‘notorious’ nearby Frejus, but as this morning ‘The Times’ put it:
“French far right on march amid fear of ‘Muslim domination’
a theory that has long circled in the French far right, promoted by writers such as Renaud Camus, 75, who in his book, Le Grand Remplacement, argued that his country’s white, Christian-based civilisation was being intentionally replaced by Islamic culture crossing from Africa, in a plot by global capitalists to ensure a ready supply of cheap labour.”
One might say an unholy alliance of ‘left’ and ‘right’.
Let’s wait and see if (as described elsewhere) “a far right pundit, vile misogynist, racist conspirator, and potential contender for the presidency, Eric Zemmour” is only outLePening Le Pen, or is real threat to M Macron.
They also fear Gipsy people, just in the south.
At the annual pilgrimage in May you find “closed” cities in Camargue, Les Saintes Maries de la Mer and around.
“They also fear Gipsy people, just in the south.”
Fear, maybe some older folk, but disdain, contempt, strong dislike is the way most French feel about “les gens du voyage” or Gypsies as you call them, though they have many names, Tziganes, Gitans, Bohémiens, Manouches or Romanichels.
The last thing you want is them to arrive 20-50 caravans strong and set up camp on private land in your village.
I ran into a bunch of them in Rome about 15 years ago. A young woman would thrust a screaming baby in my face while asking for money. At the same time others would crowd around and try to reach into my clothes. Amateur pickpockets. Yelling at them would generally scare them away. This happened on more than one occasion.
You have to have a look at Saintes Pilgrimage, I call them i.a. Gypsies as they named well known Band Gipsy Kings. In general they a called Gitans in France, and the French people feel problems with them.
On the other side, thousands of tourists are coming to see them playing their excellent music.
I’m good friend with some of these musicians since years, we never loose contact over the years.
Following their words, the problems started with the opening of the eastern countries in the 90ies, as many Sinti and Roma came from Hungary and Romania to the pilgrimage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsARWIPkHHE
The musician Lucas Romero presented in the beginning has all qualities to become a second Manitas de Plata (RIP), also out of the Camargue region
Also much loved in Saintes is the group Urs Karpatz, musicians from the Carpathians, all have different languages, but all speak Romanes, the common language of the Gypsies with Sanskrit roots and still some identic vocabulary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxL88beDcC0
Enjoy
Another nice overview.
Latest UNEP Emissions Gap Report finds new and updated Nationally Determined Contributions only take 7.5% off predicted 2030 emissions; 55% is needed to meet the 1.5°C Paris goal
Here’s an idea from the UKs very own snooty upper class gal, Joanna Lumley
Ms Lumley, best known for her role as Patsy Stone on Absolutely Fabulous, said that radical legislation was needed to save the planet, including the reintroduction of rationing, most well-known to have been imposed during the Second World War — and which continued to some degree, incredibly, for another 14 years until 1954, when rationing on bacon and other meat was finally lifted.
…
The actress is not the first to suggest climate credits, with then-Labour Environment Secretary David Miliband suggesting a rationing scheme in 2006, telling The Guardian at the time that, within five years, Britons could each have a carbon “credit card” which they have to swipe every time they pay an energy utility bill, buy petrol, or book a flight.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/10/27/absolutely-fabulous-actress-calls-for-introduction-of-rationing-and-climate-credits/
What’s her record like?
Joanna Lumley has travelled the world for ITV….
Joanna Lumley’s Hidden Caribbean
Joanna Lumley’s Silk Road Adventure
Joanna Lumley’s Unseen Adventures
Joanna Lumley lands new ITV travel show Secret Cities
The 75-year-old actress – who was recently spotted at the Moulin Rouge in Paris – is exploring locations around the world for upcoming series ‘Secret Cities’
That’s what she’s doing right now…
She was Purdey nice in the New Avengers
Not too bad compared to Diana Rigg
But Diana was a real actress.
They talk about the Pandemic recovery as a missed opportunity .
But the whole lockdown made no difference to atmospheric CO2 levels .https://gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/
Even the WMO admitted that the reduction in human CO2 output made no difference
This is because the amount of CO2 produced by human activity is so small as to be totally insignificant compared with the mass of naturally produced CO2 .
For instance , the UKs total CO2 makes up just 0.000012% of the atmosphere .
But they will keep plugging the whole scam in a desperate attempt to fill their pockets with our money .
Not to mention that there is no evidence reducing CO2 will have any discernable effect on the temperatures.
The UN IPCC falsely implies they know just how much the temperatures will rise depending on the amount of CO2 in the air. They don’t have this knowledge, yet they pretend they do.
It’s all a big scam based on unsubstantiated assumptions.
The net zero pledges by developed countries are totally irrelevant and impossible to achieve with known technologies. The elephant in the room is Africa which will have 2.5 billion people by 2050. Africa has just started to industrialise with 1250 coal fired power stations planned for Africa in the next decade alone. This ensures that global carbon dioxide emissions will continue to increase for decades to come. Anybody who thinks that this can be avoided is utterly deluded.
“This ensures that global carbon dioxide emissions will continue to increase for decades to come.”
You say that like you think it is a bad thing. It would be great if we could see 600 to 800 PPM of the gas of life.
Pamela, I didn’t mean to give that impression. I was merely pointing out the futility of Britain’s net zero target.
On that you are correct, all Net-Zero targets are futile and a waste of money and valuable resources!
Why do we need any more of it?
Plant life managed perfectly fine back in the Stone Age, with much, much lower CO2 – it grew all those primeval forests and jungles, for example
Strange that all those ancient plants you mention had already evolved to photosynthesize CO2 at above 1000ppmv atmosphere.
How do you explain that? Divine intervention?
Gosh … knock me over with a feather. You can add complete biology ignorance to your Earth science CV.
Earth has been drawing down CO2 for millions of years to a dangerous low by the Little Ice Age. All plants today evolved with far more CO2.
There are a mere 78 new coal plants building or in the planning stages in the whole of Africa.
a quarter of those are in Zimbabwe and probably have little chance of getting built.
Global Coal Plant Tracker | End Coal
Griff, here is one link from many showing that Africa has 1250 coal plants planned in the next decade.
https://principia-scientific.com/how-best-to-power-africa-in-the-future/
Griff, here is another link from your preferred source, the BBC. 2500 power plants are planned in Africa over the next decade. The article points out that the failure rate for renewable power plants is much higher than the failure rate for fossil fuel plants.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55620848
“…shave an extra 0.5 C off global warming, bringing the predicted temperature rise down to 2.2 C.” Predictions, models, volcanos cooperating, China instantly stops lying, and the models score an incredible precision of 2.2 C. Don’t wait for it.
The COP is trying for 1.5 C. I’m hoping we can reach a target of 2.5 C and perhaps a smidge more.
I’m a strong supporter of Global Warming. Warm times are the best times. Ask any Canadian you come across in Florida.
Too bad CO2 doesn’t seem to be the control knob for the Earth’s temperature. It would be really convenient if it was the control knob.
HR
Indeed.
Truth is, we think we know a number of things that affect global temperatures.
We may not know them all, for certain.
It seems that – doom-mongers excepted -nobody really knows how much effect clouds, or the Sun, or continental configuration, have individually.
Auto
Could net zero be attained if humans are around? The carbon dioxide emitted by human respiration is estimated at 3 billion tons per year (approximately the emission from 1000 coal fired power plant with generating capacity of 600 MW). This emission is not included in the calculation for the erroneous belief that the carbon dioxide emitted from human metabolism are from food that was first of all fixed by sunlight or net zero. Maybe correct in the most primitive society because current food production is highly dependent on fossil fuel from farm chemicals, fertilizers, farm machinery, pumps for irrigation, processing and storage and transport.
Net zero, the dream of mentally retarded children.
I guess this proves that the UN will be the last place to acknowledge sovereign debt problems. The addict has a problem.
“I will gladly slash carbon Tuesday, for a coal plant today”.
This is what one of the ‘Insulate Britain’ protesters said, blocking traffic on a freeway into London:
Suzie from Cambridge really believes that blocking the freeways will cause Britain to insulate its housing better, and that will defend the country from the climate crisis!
This is religious mania.
If Suzie from Cambridge does end up going to prison and losing her home it will be because IB have been classed as a terrorist organisation and nothing will be done for her ’cause’. Brainwashed delusional incompetents led by embittered no-hopers. You’ve got to feel sorry for the misguided fools really.
I don’t feel the least bit sorry for wilful idiots. They bring it on themselves. The truth is readily available and none of the AGW propaganda makes any sense anyway.
but 97, now 99+ %?
If you’re tuned to the wrong channel, you haven’t a chance of understand anything.
You’re right, they are tuned to the wrong channel and refuse to have a look any any other in case it interferes with their fixed ideas.
Susie has a readily-available contribution to fixing the “climate crisis”, if that’s what concerns her most.
Her contribution would also improve the human gene pool, in the same way that Darwin Award recipients do.
The old rule is … “you can’ fix stupid”. You might have found a way.
Climate models aren’t facts and don’t predict anything. CO2 is plant food, not a pollutant. The AGM “scientists” are tools working for globalist control freaks.
I have the perfect solution these people are looking for, a unicorn called Hope.
Tory politician on GBnews arguing that spending trillions on net zero is pointless, as India and China won’t…so better to spend it on getting ready for climate change…
Well, like nuclear power for zero carbon, it’s the right answer for all the wrong reasons…
“To stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, we have eight years to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions”, said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP.
Ah, another one of those time limits to add to all the others. So it’s 8 years now.
Yeah, let’s see if the temperatures climb above the 2016 highpoint in the next eight years. At the present time, the temperatures are 0.4C cooler than the 2016 highpoint. Where will the temperatures go from here? The alarmists say “up”. The skeptics say “wait and see”.
So what if it goes up 0.4, or 0.8? Maybe worry when it looks like 10 to 15 degrees is real.
Maybe they are postponing the climate commitments to raise the money? (lol)
Emerging World Hands Dems A “$750 Billion Bill” For Climate Change Ahead Of Glasgow Summit
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/emerging-world-hands-dems-750-billion-bill-climate-change-ahead-glasgow-summit
POTEMKIN PROJECTS:
And here is where the money is going. I am guessing many here are familiar with the Crescent Dunes concentrated solar power project which ended up being a modern day version of Stone Henge, but it is the “tip of the ice berg“ in terms such projects going bankrupt world wide:
The Problem with Solar Energy in Africa
https://youtu.be/7OpM_zKGE4o?t=548
Can you imagine the money stream involved here? Based on “good feelings” with no obligation to produce deliverables. I am sure they will be a boon for archeologists who rediscover them under the sand dunes in 2000 years… and they obviously made money for those who built them.
“Kerry wasn’t the only western official in the room wearing a long face.”
That made me laugh. 🙂
How long can the UN keep this charade going? All a COP produces is virtue signaling and income for the hosting city.
It is a charade.
I saw an article yesterday saying most Americans are not willing to pay money out of their own pockets to fix climate change. So maybe there are more people out there thinking this is a charade than we know about.
How long can this charade go on? I don’t know. But it’s getting colder.
Here’s an interesting Nullschool link. It shows the jet stream dipping way down south to the Gulf of Mexico (marked). This is similar to the way the situation in Feb. 2021, unfolded, where freezing cold arctic air followed the jet stream down into Texas and the Gulf.
All we are getting out of this particular jet stream dip is severe thunderstorms. Good! We don’t like that cold weather!
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/500hPa/orthographic=-82.96,57.57,264/loc=-96.865,36.392
By now, how many Americans believe government spending has nothing to do with them unless they are a recipient of largess? So, let the government do climate change (go, go Brandon), don’t bother me or my wallet.
“…net zero pledges are still vague, incomplete in many cases…”
I suspect that’s the whole point of net zero pledges.
“Net Zero” means you have to find someone emissions negative to balance your positives. None of them can supply the names of those ‘negative emitters’…it’s just another virtue signalling tactic….
That may be the reason they want to keep Africa dirt poor. That is their contribution.
Who is “we” and who elected them?
Are you still one of those peasants that believes in elections?
Net zero pledges provide hope in the same way that an outbreak of the plague provides joy.
It’s not a 1.5C goal, it’s a 0.5C goal from current temperatures. But that seems ludicrous right, to claim that 0.5C of further warming could be catastrophic?
Probably 0.3C.
We’re supposed to have warmed 1.2C from ‘pre-industrial temperatures.
Not 1.1; nor 1.3. 1.2C.
We don’t really know the global temperature – if such a concept really exists as a real thing, rather than a statistical artefact – today, to better than half a degree Celsius.
Maybe to the nearest degree only.
Auto
If Australia went Net0 from tomorrow, it would take India+China+others 1 year to catch it up, 1 year of delay to reach the same annual emissions then continue increasing.
Could they limit emissions per capita for all people in the world?
If plants take 25% of the extra carbon, why go net0 when 80% reduction would still be more than enough for nature to cope with as we did in the early 1900’s?
You are probably selling China short.
The reality is that, based on the paleoclimate record and the work done with models, the climate change we are experiencing today is caused by the sun and the oceans over which mankind has no control. Despite the hype, there is no real evidence that CO2 has any effect on climate and there is plenty of scientific rationale to support the conclusion that the climate sensitivity of CO2 is zero. Hence all efforts to reduce CO2 emissions will have no effect on global climate. Mankind does not even know what the optimum global climate actually is let alone how to achieve it..
Woohoo — “The world has to wake up to the imminent peril we face as a species,” Andersen added.
See my “Laughing at climate hysteria”
Here https://www.cfact.org/2021/10/22/positive-diverse-people-having-fun-watching-funny-videos-together/
Humankind could completely disappear, this would hardly cause a blip in the atmospheric CO2 concentration trend.
Needless to speak about any effect on whatsoever related to the climate other than the disappearance of the COPs’ clown show and all those climate nutcases.
I have been closely following the climate change issue since the 1980s. It hasn’t convinced or even much impacted the world since then. Because there is a serious lack of evidence for its conclusions. The mob is never fooled.
Meanwhile Greta is calling a climate strike 5 November. 12C and rain.I hope they don’t forget their plastics.
In case you were wondering, there is still no actual science that allows a prediction of a 1.5 degrees C change to atmospheric temperatures for ANY quantity of added greenhouse gas. After decades of expensive research, we still lack a useful mathematical figure for this climate sensitivity.
During the Covid lockdown era, estimates have been made that about 8% less hydrocarbons were emitted as people used less transport, less heating fuel and so on. The effect of this on the measured CO2 levels in air at Mauna Loa have not been detected. The effect on CO2 levels has been described and excused as being quite small.
Sadly, there is a symmetry in these figures. If a long enough 8% reduction cannot be detected, nor can an 8% increase.
From where do we get the sensitivity numbers that say we need to change emission levels to stay below a 1.5 degree C warming?
Geoff S
Watching them go through the mental gymnastics to achieve absolutely nothing is a bit like watching a kitten with a ball of wool, it’s fun and a good game at the start but after a time it is harder and harder to move without tangling yourself more and more which makes further movement almost impossible and they’ve now got their trained army of screechers on their backs wanting more and better commitments of the impossible.
Like old Jen Psaki they’ve circled back so far it won’t be long before they vanish into their own tailpipe.
We can only hope
James Bull