photo by *~Dawn~* (source: Flickr Creative Commons)

55 countries signed onto the Copenhagen accord by January 31st, the UN’s ‘soft deadline’ for submitting promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The 55 signatories – who are responsible for 78% of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning – include China, the US and all 27 European Union states.

So far the pledges to reduce emissions are not sufficient for what is needed to keep the Earth’s temperature from rising 2C (3.6 F) above pre industrial levels, or 1.3C (2.3F) above today’s temperatures, according to the goals set out during the Copenhagen climate talks.

Janos Pasztor, the top climate adviser to the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, said the goals, submitted to the UN as part of a voluntary plan to roll back emissions, make it highly unlikely the world can prevent temperatures from rising above the target set at the Copenhagen climate conference in December.

–Guardian

For more details read the Guardian article ‘Copenhagen pledges fall short of 2C target, says UN climate chief’.

by Graham Land