World On Track For "Catastrophic" 3.1°C Of Warming: Common Dreams

The world's nations must commit to drastically cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions soon, or risk a "catastrophic" rise in global average temperatures, according to a key United Nations (UN) climate report published, Brett Wilkins reported for Common Dreams.

UNEP added that "solar, wind, and forests" have the potential to help the world "get on a 1.5°C pathway."

"It is still technically possible to meet the 1.5°C goal" set out in the Paris Agreement, "but only with a G20-led massive global mobilization to cut all greenhouse gas emissions, starting today," the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) said in a summary of its annual Emissions Gap Report.

"Nations must collectively commit to cutting 42% off annual GHG emissions by 2030 and 57% by 2035 in the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)—and back this up with rapid action—or the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal will be gone within a few years," UNEP warned.

"Failure to increase ambition in these new NDCs and start delivering immediately would put the world on course for a temperature increase of 2.6-3.1°C over this century," the agency said.

"This would bring debilitating impacts to people, the planet, and economies." UNEP added that "solar, wind, and forests" have the potential to help the world "get on a 1.5°C pathway."

However, "sufficiently strong NDCs would need to be backed urgently by a whole-of-government approach, measures that maximize socioeconomic and environmental co-benefits, enhanced international collaboration including reform of the global financial architecture, strong private sector action, and a minimum six-fold increase in mitigation investment."