COP26: Despite climate summit, world is on track to overheat by 2.4C, says CAT analysis

New research stated that despite pledges made at the COP26 climate summit, the globe is still far from meeting its targets for controlling global temperature rise. Citing Climate Activity Tracker (CAT) analysis, BBC reported that the world will warm by 2.4 degrees Celsius, considerably beyond the 1.5 degrees Celsius target set by nations. According to the CAT, COP26 "has a large credibility, action, and commitment gap."

The Glasgow Summit is regarded as critical in the fight against climate change. However, optimism prevailed at the UN gathering last week, following a slew of major pronouncements, including a pledge to halt deforestation. The 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) is set to end this week.

The prediction comes as the UK's Met Office cautions that if the global average temperature climbs by 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a billion people might be dead by heat and humidity. Climate Action Tracker's research examines government commitments made before and during COP26. It concludes that greenhouse gas emissions that warm the earth will still be twice as high in 2030 as they must be to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. According to scientists, limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius will prevent the most devastating effects of climate change from occurring, said reports.

40 nations vow to phase out coal-fired power

Meanwhile, in agreements made at the United Nations climate change conference, or COP26 summit, over 40 countries have vowed to move away from coal. According to the British news organisation, some of the world's greatest coal-dependent countries, such as Poland, Vietnam, and Chile, made the promise, but some of the world's biggest coal-dependent countries, such as China and the United States, did not. In a second agreement, at least 20 countries, including the United States, agreed to stop funding "unabated" fossil fuel projects in other countries by the end of 2022. These projects use fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, but they don't use technology to collect carbon dioxide emissions.

However, after the 2015 Paris climate summit, when Climate Action Tracker assessed that policies placed the world on track to warm by 3.6 degrees Celsius, the world's outlook has improved, as per the British news outlet. Climate Action Tracker attributes poor progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to "stalled momentum" from governments.

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