The Climate Crisis: Why Current Strategies Fall Short

The prospect of a 37% increase in global temperatures is not the future we desire. Unfortunately, this alarming figure reflects the potential consequences of current national strategies, as highlighted in a recent UN report.

On October 28, 2024, the UN Climate Change Secretariat published findings indicating that the plans and strategies adopted by nations collectively fall short in addressing the urgent issues of climate change.

The report reveals that even if all submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are fully implemented, global emissions are projected to decrease by only 2.6% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels.

This is far from sufficient. Scientists have emphasized that to limit global temperature rise to within 1.5°C this century, emissions must be reduced by at least 43%. If this trend continues, we will face widespread and rapid changes in weather patterns, food scarcity, civil unrest, and economic depression on a global scale.

Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, has called for a critical turning point.

“Today’s NDC Synthesis Report must be a turning point, ending the era of inadequacy and sparking a new age of acceleration, with much bolder new national climate plans from every country due next year,” he said.

This turning point means that countries must submit more ambitious plans than those presented last year. Robust strategies are needed to ensure that agreements expected during COP29 in Baku lead to substantial progress, including a threefold increase in renewable energy and a significant reduction in fossil fuel reliance.

The absence of meaningful new commitments and actions keeps the world on a trajectory toward dangerously high levels of global warming. Such outcomes threaten the survival of natural ecosystems and endanger human life in devastating ways. It is imperative that nations rise to the challenge and adopt more aggressive measures to combat climate change before it’s too late.