In 2015, the United Nations (UN) agreed as part of the Paris Climate Agreement to limit global warming to well below two degrees, or the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees – compared to pre-industrial data. The interim results have now been published in the UN NDC Synthesis Report. The interim results have now been published in the UN NDC Synthesis Report.

The core message: Only 75 of around 190 Parties have submitted new and improved climate targets. Together, they account for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. If all 75 countries meet their targets, global emissions will fall by only about half a percent by 2030 compared to 2010, but to meet the Paris target of 1.5 degrees, emissions from all parties would need to fall by 45 percent by 2030. The UN emphasizes that global action is not yet adequate and that especially heavy polluters like the U.S. and China need to contribute significantly more to climate protection. However, some countries are planning to submit new targets this year, including major emitters such as the U.S., which accounts for 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and China, with a 28 percent share.

Experts from the think tank “Climate Action Tracker” (CAT) calculated that under current measures, the global pathway is heading toward 2.9 degrees plus, with a range between 2.1 and 3.9 degrees. If all currently formulated climate targets were implemented by 2030, only a 2.6 degree limit would still be reached. The only two countries that the CAT considers to have formulated climate measures sufficient to meet the 1.5 Gard target are Gambia and Morocco. Most countries, however, have so far only presented targets that are not even sufficient to meet the two degree limit.

The European Union is responsible for over six percent of global emissions. It just delivered its new targets on time. The promise: To cut emissions, compared with the 1990 baseline, by 55 percent. The previous targets pledged only 40 percent. Still, the CAT gives it a grade of „unsatisfactory.“