According to a new scientific study, nearly every country is failing to combat climate change. The world will likely not be able to maintain the agreed-upon global limit of warming, which is the result of a lackluster effort to do so.
The report stated that only one country, tiny The Gambia in Africa, is on track to reduce emissions and take its part of the actions necessary to prevent the world exceeding the Paris agreement goal to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degree Fahrenheit) since preindustrial times.
The Climate Action Tracker reports Wednesday that only one industrialized country — the United Kingdom — is close to meeting its obligations to reduce heat-trapping gas emissions and finance clean energy for the poorer countries.
In May, after U.S. After President Joe Biden’s climate summit in May, enough countries had pledged big enough carbon pollution reductions that the tracker reported that the «emissions gap», which is the difference between emission projections with pledges to reduce carbon pollution and what’s needed to reach the 1.5 degree goal, fell 11%.
Climate Analytics CEO Bill Hare, co-author of the report, stated that «that momentum has not been sustained.» «We are running out of countries that will step up to reduce the gap by making additional emission commitments.»
The new ratings are more comprehensive than its previous reports which only focused on policy changes and promises to reduce carbon pollution. According to Hare, a climate scientist, finance is crucial to climate negotiations this autumn in Scotland. So the report examined commitments made by rich countries to pay for clean energy for poor countries, Hare said.
This harmed the United States and European Union rankings.
The report criticized the United States, Japan, Germany, and the European Union for their efforts to combat global warming. It said that they were more in line than ever with a 3 degree Celsius (5.4 degree Fahrenheit) increase in temperature since the end of the 19th century.
Since then, the world has warmed by 1.1 degrees Celsius (2° Fahrenheit). These countries are now on track to bring the world 1.9 degrees Celsius (3° Fahrenheit).
The U.S.’s official emissions pledge is almost sufficient, but Hare said that the overall grade «reflects that Biden hasn’t got his policies in place.» Although the U.S. official emissions pledge is nearly sufficient, Hare stated that the overall grade «reflects Biden’s inability to get his policies in order.» The U.S. financial assistance commitments were given the lowest possible grade by the report.
China, India, and India, which are the largest carbon emitters, are «highly inadequate» or more in line to 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit), warming since preindustrial times.
Hare stated, «We don’t see enough action from China.»
Hare stated that Brazil and Mexico had «gone backwards» in their efforts to reduce global warming. The report ranks Iran, Russia and Saudi Arabia at the bottom.
