All the global efforts to reduce emissions, have fallen short, missing the target, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Science evidence based findings point to a widening gap between aspirations and reality.
According to a United Nations report, released on the 18th September 2024, Greenhouse gas concentrations are at record levels, fuelling temperature increase into the future.
The emissions gap between aspiration and reality remains high. Under current policies, there is a two thirds likelihood of global warming of 3 °C this century, says the United in Science report.
Human-caused climate change has resulted in widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere. The year 2023 was the warmest on record by a large margin, with widespread extreme weather. This trend continued in the first half of 2024.
In addition, Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rose by 1.2% from 2021 to 2022, reaching 57.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent.
Globally averaged surface concentrations of CO2, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) also reached new highs.
Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General, said “we need urgent and ambitious action now, to support sustainable development, climate action and disaster risk reduction. The decisions we make today could be the difference between a future breakdown or a breakthrough to a better world.”
She also said Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, have emerged as potentially transformative technologies that are revolutionizing weather forecasting and can make it faster, cheaper and more accessible.
“However, science and technology alone are not enough to address global challenges such as climate change and sustainable development alone. In an increasingly complex world, we must embrace diverse knowledge, experiences and perspectives to co-create solutions together,” she said.
The report has recommended the upcoming United Nations Summit of the Future, provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity, to revitalize and reboot collective commitment to the global goals.
The report was authored by the United Nations agencies, meteorological organizations and scientific and research bodies, with input from young people and early career scientists.