UNEP: World moving away from realizing climate change goals

The world is moving further away from the goal of limiting the rise in global average temperatures to below 2 degrees Celsius, as the concentration of warming gases in the atmosphere is actually rising, a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said Wednesday. UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report, published in London, shows that greenhouse gas emissions levels are currently around 14 per cent above the target levels for 2020. Instead of declining, concentration of warming gases, like carbon dioxide (CO2), have actually increased by around 20 per cent since 2000. If no swift action is taken, emissions are likely to rise to 58 gigatonnes (Gt) in eight years’ time, said the report, drawn up by scientists from more than 20 countries, dpa reported. “This will leave a gap that is now bigger than it was in earlier UNEP assessments of 2010 and 2011 and is in part as a result of projected economic growth in key developing economies,” said the report. Continued inaction would trigger costs that are likely to rise by up to 15 per cent if implementation is delayed beyond 2020. While “potentially large emission reductions” are still achievable in sectors such as buildings, power generation and transport, “the sobering fact” remains that the transition to a low carbon economy is “happening far too slowly,” said Achim Steiner, UNEP executive director.