Friday 21 October 2022

Countries’ commitments to Paris Agreement slammed by report

A report has called countries’ plans to meet the Paris Agreement “woefully inadequate.”

Produced by the World Resources Institute (WRI), the report warns that if plans aren’t increased by six-times their current rate, the target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C won’t be achievable.

Countries’ ambitions have waned with the impact of COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis, the WRI claims – as focus moves away from the climate to what are considered more pressing issues.

Plans are also allegedly nowhere near being followed, with the initial aim to reduce emissions from 2015 by 5.5 gigatonnes – but only 10% of that figure being achieved thus far.

Australia and Indonesia are highlighted as the only two countries to increase their climate aims.

The report reads: “If the pace of improvement from 2016 to today continues, the world will not only miss the Paris Agreement goals but it will miss them by a long shot.”

Alongside this, the WRI claims that just 15 of the 119 countries that signed up to the Global Methane Pledge last year have set any kind of methane reduction targets.