The world needs to make an effort «much more on all fronts», abandon fossil fuels and reduce CO2 emissions from 2025 to stop the climate crisis, according to a key UN report for the COP28 negotiations in Dubai in three months. This document was published just as the leaders of the main G20 nations begin to meet in New Delhi, with little hope of achieving ambitious progress on the climate issue.
While greenhouse gas emissions from the United States and Europe have been decreasing for years, those from China (the main emitter) and India continue to increase.
The report is the first stage of the first «Global stocktake» on progress towards the objectives of the 2015 Paris Agreement, including the most ambitious, limit global warming to 1.5ºC.
The countries that signed the agreement will have to make a political decision appropriate to the circumstances during the 28th UN climate conference. The COP will take place from November 29 to December 12 in the United Arab Emiratesafter the hottest boreal summer ever recorded in history, full of extreme weather events favored by climate change.
The UN report will be the indisputable basis of the tough negotiations of this COP, which could be the largest in history (90,000 attendees expected) and which will have as its central issue the future of fossil energies such as coal, oil and gas. «The world is not on track to meet the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement»the report concluded.
The temperature increase is already almost 1.2 ºC compared to the pre-industrial era, and its devastating effects multiply with each extra tenth of a degree. «While action continues, much more remains to be done on all fronts,» the document summarized.
Among the essential conditions for «a just energy transition towards carbon neutrality» There is the progressive abandonment of the use of fossil fuels whose emissions cannot be captured and the development of clean energy. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 and fall 43 percent before 2030 and 60 percent before 2035 compared to 2019 levels, to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050.
A window that closes
However, time is ticking and «There is a rapidly closing window to raise ambitions and implement existing commitments»the report warned.
The document was drafted by a South African expert and his American counterpart after years of consultations with experts from member countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and observers from environmental NGOs.
The UN called for more economic efforts, mainly from developing countries, the reduction of emissions and greater adaptation to climate change.
«The fundamental principles of the Paris Agreement are not yet respected by all 197 parties,» but «the burden of response falls on 20 countries» first, declared Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the Framework Convention, referring to the nations of the G20.
The president of COP28 and the UAE’s national oil company, Sultan Al Jaber, responded by calling for «tripling renewable energy by 2030, commercializing other carbon-free solutions, such as hydrogen, and developing a carbon-free energy system.» any fossil fuel without CO2 capture.»