Researchers say that the world is coming closer to the goal of keeping fossil-fuel emissions to the minimum, consequence of the actions they announced on previous pledges. However, the whole world awaits for experts from 190 nations to gather at the UN in Paris in order to reach an agreement to limit these emissions on December.
Scientists say that the goals are to keep the temperature increases in a range of 2 degrees Celsius, according to the group Climate Action Tracker (CAT), founded by four European institutions. The average temperature will rise 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100 from pre-industrial times, only if nations keep their promises. This will suppose a lower number than the 3.1 degrees Celsius measured last December and the first time it will drop from the average 3 degrees Celsius.
Scientists warn that if the temperature increases over the 2 degrees Celsius objective, climate effects will be devastating, accelerating processes like the melting of glaciers, the rise of sea levels and the appearance of powerful storms.
“The UN’s pledging process has clearly led to progress but it is clear that, in Paris, governments must consider formally acknowledging that their first round of climate plans for 2025 and 2030 will not hold warming below 2 deg C,” said Mr Bill Hare, a researcher at Climate Analytics, one of the project contributors, according to Bloomberg.
China, the U.S. and the European Union represent almost the 80 percent of global emissions, being in the top three. On the other hand, poor nations in Africa are the most vulnerable ones, making all countries in the world getting involved in solving this problem as a community.
“The essential part is that we put in place rules so that countries can ramp up their contributions regularly,” after the Paris conference, said Laurence Tubiana of France, host of the UN meeting to be held from November 30 to December 11, according to The Straits Time.
What the U.S. said about climate change
Six years ago, Hillary Clinton in her role of Secretary of State said the United States will help raise $100 billion annually by 2020 to assist poor countries in coping with “climate change.” The announcement was made during a press conference at the UN’s Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December 2009. She also pointed out that it was very important that nations like China and India made commitments on environmental regulations.
“In the absence of an operational agreement that meets the requirements that I outlined, there will not be that financial agreement, at least from the United States. Without that accord, there won’t be the kind of joint global action from all of the major economies we all want to see, and the effects in the developing world could be catastrophic,” Clinton said, according to The New American.
Source: The Strait Times