The UN received formal pledges to cut or limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 55 of its 194 member nations in time for the January 31 deadline set under the Copenhagen Accord agreed last month.
Although only a minority of member states have made their pledges so far, they include
major emitters such as China and the United States and collectively account for 78 per cent of
global emissions from
energy use.
UN officials and other commentators have warned, however, that the level of
cuts promised so far will not be sufficient to meet the
Copenhagen Accord’s target of limiting the rise in global temperatures to two degrees Celcius above pre-industrial levels.
“Greater ambition is required to meet the scale of the challenge,” confirmed Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
However, he added that he saw the pledges as “clear signals of willingness to move negotiations towards a successful conclusion”.
It was no surprise that only a minority of the UN’s member states made their pledges in time for the deadline – de Boer prepared the ground for this last month when he said that January 31 had become a “soft deadline” and that the
Copenhagen Accord should be seen as a "living document" that nations could endorse over the course of the year.
However, for the global climate negotiations to retain any momentum, it was generally seen as important that major emitters such as China and the United States met the deadline – especially since these two were among the handful of countries to have agreed the Copenhagen Accord, away from the main negotiations, in the dying hours of last month’s climate talks.
Most of the pledges the UN has received so far reiterate previous commitments.
For example, the US has reiterated president Barack Obama's pledge to cut its absolute
carbon emissions by about 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020 “in conformity with anticipated US energy and climate legislation”.
This legislation is, of course, currently bogged down in the Senate, though the US submission makes clear that, if passed, it would entail a 30 per cent reduction in 2025 and a 42 per cent reduction in 2030, in line with the goal to reduce emissions 83 per cent by 2050.
Meanwhile, China reiterated its intention to reduce its carbon intensity, by endeavoring to lower its
carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 per cent by 2020, compared to the 2005 level and the EU reaffirmed its commitment to reducing emissions by 30 per cent – but only if other major emitters make comparable reductions.
Emissions pledges represent "invigoration" of the UN climate change talksAlthough the pledges received by the UN so far contain few surprises, de Boer said they represented “an important invigoration of the UN climate change talks”.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said today that cutting global emissions was now "irreversible".
“Just one month after Copenhagen, countries accounting for nearly 80 per cent of global emissions have shown they’re pushing ahead with domestic action on climate change. With countries including the USA, China and India setting out what they will do, this is a significant change compared with just 12 months ago. There is now a world-wide recognition that cutting emissions and moving to a low carbon economy is the right thing to do," he said.
Jennifer Morgan, director of the Washington-based World Resource’s Institute’s Climate and Energy Programme, agreed that pledges made were enough to give the process some momentum.
“Following a month of uncertainty, it is now clear that the Copenhagen Accord will support the world in moving forward to meaningful global action on climate change,” she said.
“However, although important in showing the intent to move to a low carbon economy, the commitments are far below what is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The level of ambition must be ratcheted up if the world is to avoid dangerous levels of warming.”
She had particular word of warning for the US: “The pledges made by countries like Japan, China, Europe and India show a commitment to collective, transparent action on a scale never seen before.
“The United States should have no doubt that these countries plan to build their economies with clean energy. In order to compete in this race for the markets of the future and to meet President Obama’s commitment to reduce US emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, the Senate should act now to enact comprehensive climate legislation.”
Global climate deal vital to BritainEd Miliband said today the UK would continue to "push for bold cuts" in emissions as well as a legally binding climate change treaty under the UN. "A global climate deal is vital to Britain – helping us protect the environment, boost green jobs and enhance our energy security," he said.
Related News:
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www.unfccc.int