Current commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions put Earth on track for a ‘catastrophic’ 2.7°C (4.8°F) temperature rise this century, a stark United Nations report warned today.
It savaged global governments’ climate pledges just days before the start of the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow.
The Emissions Gap report says promises made by countries across the world will fail to keep the global temperature under 1.5°C (2.7°F) this century, a target set as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
It pours yet more cold water on Boris Johnson‘s big COP26 moment, as he gets ready to welcome world leaders to Scotland for climate talks.
The Prime Minister wants countries to commit to slashing carbon emissions but both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping have already said they are not intending to travel to the event.
This has heightened fears that the summit will fail to make significant progress in the fight against climate change, and the latest warning from the UN will do little to improve Mr Johnson’s optimism that effective global action can be agreed.
Current commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions put Earth on track for a 2.7°C (4.8°F) temperature rise this century, a stark United Nations report warned today (stock image)
It pours yet more cold water on Boris Johnson’s big COP26 moment, as he gets ready to welcome world leaders to Scotland for climate talks
The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin (left) will not be attending the gathering in Glasgow at the end of the month. China’s Xi Jinping (right) is also not expected to go
President Xi’s decision not to attend COP26 comes as new figures revealed that China bears responsibility for climate change even when historic emissions are taken into account.
This is despite Beijing’s long-standing attempt to blame the West’s industrial revolution for the crisis.
Scientists who compiled the UN Environment Programme’s report said carbon-cutting plans submitted by countries ahead of COP are nowhere near enough to keep the 1.5°C temperature threshold within sight.
When added together, the plans slash greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 by around 7.5 per cent compared to the previous pledges made five years ago.
However, that is way off the 55 per cent of cuts needed by the same date to ensure the 1.5°C increase remains a realistic target, experts said.
The current pledges would instead see the world warm by 2.7°C this century, a revelation that is ‘another thundering wake-up call’, according to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.
‘The emissions gap is the result of a leadership gap,’ he said at the launch of the study.
‘But leaders can still make this a turning point to a greener future instead of a tipping point to climate catastrophe.’
Inger Andersen, executive director of Unep, said: ‘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.’
Despite the warning, there is still hope that if long-term net-zero goals — pledged by around 50 countries plus the EU — are met then this could shave 0.5°C off the temperature rise by 2100.
It would limit the global temperature rise to 2.2°C rather than 2.7°C but would still be above the Paris Agreement target of keeping it below 2°C and ideally holding it to 1.5°C.
The latest report comes 24 hours after separate analysis warned that levels of planet-warming greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached record highs again in 2020 despite the Covid pandemic.
Concentrations of CO2, methane and nitrous oxide rose faster than at any point during the previous decade, with the trend continuing into 2021, the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said.
China is the world’s second-largest polluter even when emissions going back to 1850 are taken into account, new figures have shown, rebutting Beijing’s insistence that the West is ‘historically responsible’ for the climate crisis
While China industrialised decades later than western nations, its growth in recent years – largely fuelled by coal – has been so ferocious that it has eclipsed almost all other nations. It is not the world’s largest emitter by a wide margin (above)
This graphic shows how greenhouse gas emissions have increased between 1900 and 2020
The economic slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic did not have any discernible impact on atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases and the rate they are building up — although there was a temporary decline in new emissions, the WMO added.
If greenhouse gas concentrations continue to increase at current rates, the world will see temperature rises far above globally agreed long-term targets to limit warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) to 2°C (3.6ºF) to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
The UN has previously said that to hit the 2°C (3.6ºF) target, CO2 emissions needed to decrease by about 25 per cent from the 2010 level by 2030 and the world to reach net zero in about 2070.
To hold global temperature rises to 1.5°C (2.7°F), emissions would need to decline by about 45 per cent from the 2010 level by 2030, reaching net zero in about 2050.
However, its latest calculations has global gas emissions on track to be 16 per cent higher by 2030 than today.
Greenhouse gases are emitted by human activities such as burning fossil fuels for power, heating and transport, farming and deforestation, and they build up in the atmosphere where higher concentrations of the gases trap more heat, causing rising temperatures, extreme weather and rising seas.
Greenhouse gases are emitted by human activities such as burning fossil fuels for power, heating and transport, farming and deforestation (stock image)
WMO secretary general Professor Petteri Taalas said the latest information on greenhouse gases contained a stark, scientific message for climate negotiators at the COP26 talks, adding: ‘We are way off track.’
The last time the Earth had similar concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere was three to five million years ago when the temperature was 2C-3C warmer than now, and sea levels were 10-20 metres (32-65ft) higher — but there weren’t 7.8 billion people living on the planet then, he warned.
Professor Taalas said: ‘Many countries are now setting carbon neutral targets and it is hoped that COP26 will see a dramatic increase in commitments.
‘We need to transform our commitment into action that will have an impact on the gases that drive climate change.
‘We need to revisit our industrial, energy and transport systems and whole way of life.
‘The needed changes are economically affordable and technically possible. There is no time to lose.’
The latest annual greenhouse gas bulletin from the WMO shows that levels of carbon dioxide — the most important greenhouse gas — in the atmosphere reached 413 parts per million in 2020, 49 per cent above what it was in 1750, before human activity started affecting natural systems.
Concentrations of other key greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide also hit record highs in 2020, as they increased at faster rates than in the past 10 years.
Roughly half the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities remains in the atmosphere, while the other half is absorbed by oceans and land habitats such as forests.
But the bulletin warns that these carbon-absorbing ‘sinks’ may become less effective in the future, reducing their ability to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and buffer the planet from even greater warming.
Revealed: MailOnline dissects the impact greenhouse gases have on the planet – and what is being done to stop air pollution
Emissions
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the biggest contributors to global warming. After the gas is released into the atmosphere it stays there, making it difficult for heat to escape – and warming up the planet in the process.
It is primarily released from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, as well as cement production.
The average monthly concentration of CO2 in the Earth’s atmosphere, as of April 2019, is 413 parts per million (ppm). Before the Industrial Revolution, the concentration was just 280 ppm.
CO2 concentration has fluctuated over the last 800,000 years between 180 to 280ppm, but has been vastly accelerated by pollution caused by humans.
Nitrogen dioxide
The gas nitrogen dioxide (NO2) comes from burning fossil fuels, car exhaust emissions and the use of nitrogen-based fertilisers used in agriculture.
Although there is far less NO2 in the atmosphere than CO2, it is between 200 and 300 times more effective at trapping heat.
Sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) also primarily comes from fossil fuel burning, but can also be released from car exhausts.
SO2 can react with water, oxygen and other chemicals in the atmosphere to cause acid rain.
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an indirect greenhouse gas as it reacts with hydroxyl radicals, removing them. Hydroxyl radicals reduce the lifetime of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Particulates
What is particulate matter?
Particulate matter refers to tiny parts of solids or liquid materials in the air.
Some are visible, such as dust, whereas others cannot be seen by the naked eye.
Materials such as metals, microplastics, soil and chemicals can be in particulate matter.
Particulate matter (or PM) is described in micrometres. The two main ones mentioned in reports and studies are PM10 (less than 10 micrometres) and PM2.5 (less than 2.5 micrometres).
Air pollution comes from burning fossil fuels, cars, cement making and agriculture
Scientists measure the rate of particulates in the air by cubic metre.
Particulate matter is sent into the air by a number of processes including burning fossil fuels, driving cars and steel making.
Why are particulates dangerous?
Particulates are dangerous because those less than 10 micrometres in diameter can get deep into your lungs, or even pass into your bloodstream. Particulates are found in higher concentrations in urban areas, particularly along main roads.
Health impact
What sort of health problems can pollution cause?
According to the World Health Organization, a third of deaths from stroke, lung cancer and heart disease can be linked to air pollution.
Some of the effects of air pollution on the body are not understood, but pollution may increase inflammation which narrows the arteries leading to heart attacks or strokes.
As well as this, almost one in 10 lung cancer cases in the UK are caused by air pollution.
Particulates find their way into the lungs and get lodged there, causing inflammation and damage. As well as this, some chemicals in particulates that make their way into the body can cause cancer.
Deaths from pollution
Around seven million people die prematurely because of air pollution every year. Pollution can cause a number of issues including asthma attacks, strokes, various cancers and cardiovascular problems.
Asthma triggers
Air pollution can cause problems for asthma sufferers for a number of reasons. Pollutants in traffic fumes can irritate the airways, and particulates can get into your lungs and throat and make these areas inflamed.
Problems in pregnancy
Women exposed to air pollution before getting pregnant are nearly 20 per cent more likely to have babies with birth defects, research suggested in January 2018.
Living within 3.1 miles (5km) of a highly-polluted area one month before conceiving makes women more likely to give birth to babies with defects such as cleft palates or lips, a study by University of Cincinnati found.
For every 0.01mg/m3 increase in fine air particles, birth defects rise by 19 per cent, the research adds.
Previous research suggests this causes birth defects as a result of women suffering inflammation and ‘internal stress’.
What is being done to tackle air pollution?
Paris agreement on climate change
The Paris Agreement, which was first signed in 2015, is an international agreement to control and limit climate change.
It hopes to hold the increase in the global average temperature to below 2°C (3.6ºF) ‘and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C (2.7°F)’.
Carbon neutral by 2050
The UK government has announced plans to make the country carbon neutral by 2050.
They plan to do this by planting more trees and by installing ‘carbon capture’ technology at the source of the pollution.
Some critics are worried that this first option will be used by the government to export its carbon offsetting to other countries.
International carbon credits let nations continue emitting carbon while paying for trees to be planted elsewhere, balancing out their emissions.
No new petrol or diesel vehicles by 2040
In 2017, the UK government announced the sale of new petrol and diesel cars would be banned by 2040.
However, MPs on the climate change committee have urged the government to bring the ban forward to 2030, as by then they will have an equivalent range and price.
The Paris Agreement, which was first signed in 2015, is an international agreement to control and limit climate change. Pictured: air pollution over Paris in 2019.
Norway’s electric car subsidies
The speedy electrification of Norway’s automotive fleet is attributed mainly to generous state subsidies. Electric cars are almost entirely exempt from the heavy taxes imposed on petrol and diesel cars, which makes them competitively priced.
A VW Golf with a standard combustion engine costs nearly 334,000 kroner (34,500 euros, $38,600), while its electric cousin the e-Golf costs 326,000 kroner thanks to a lower tax quotient.
Criticisms of inaction on climate change
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has said there is a ‘shocking’ lack of Government preparation for the risks to the country from climate change.
The committee assessed 33 areas where the risks of climate change had to be addressed – from flood resilience of properties to impacts on farmland and supply chains – and found no real progress in any of them.
The UK is not prepared for 2°C of warming, the level at which countries have pledged to curb temperature rises, let alone a 4°C rise, which is possible if greenhouse gases are not cut globally, the committee said.
It added that cities need more green spaces to stop the urban ‘heat island’ effect, and to prevent floods by soaking up heavy rainfall.
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