UN report says 7.6% emissions cut required to avert destructive climate impacts

Greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut by 7.6 per cent every year on an average to limit the temperature rise close to 1.5 degrees Celcius, said a report. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in the report, said that the commitments made under the 2015 Paris Agreement won’t be enough to resist destructive climate impacts. Actions as per Paris climate deal will lead to a 3.2 degrees Celsius global temperature rise over pre-industrial levels. 

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According to the UN report, the cuts required per year to meet the projected emissions levels for 2 degrees Celcius and 1.5 degrees Celcius would have been 0.7 per cent and 3.3 per cent respectively if serious action had begun in 2010. The longer climate action is delayed the greater the cuts will be required.

"For ten years, the Emissions Gap Report has been sounding the alarm – and for ten years, the world has only increased its emissions,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. 

“There has never been a more important time to listen to the science. Failure to heed these warnings and take drastic action to reverse emissions means we will continue to witness deadly and catastrophic heatwaves, storms and pollution,” he added.

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Suggestions for India's ambitious target

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change, warned that temperature rise beyond 1.5 degrees Celcius will increase the frequency and intensity of climate impacts.

“Our collective failure to act early and hard on climate change means we now must deliver deep cuts to emissions - over 7 per cent each year if we break it down evenly over the next decade,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP’s Executive Director. Andersen said that everyone needs to act now as we cannot wait until the end of 2020 to step the action.

The report highlighted the current opportunities to enhance ambition for climate action and targets. It suggested India plan the transition from coal-fired power plants and develop an economy-wide green industrialisation strategy towards zero-emission technologies.

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