2023-11-20 19:23:00
The gorge that UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke of on Monday was not a real one. The 74-year-old Portuguese was referring to the difference between two curves that scientists from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) had just presented. These depicted the current emissions and a progression that would be necessary to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to a level that would keep global warming within the intended limits. The gap between the two curves was so large that Guterres spoke of an “emissions gorge” and appealed to the world’s countries to change their policies immediately.
Governments must redouble their efforts, demanded the UN Secretary General. An “explosion of ambition” is necessary when it comes to climate protection. There isn’t much to see of this so far. At least not if you follow the new “Emissions Gap Report” from the UN Environment Program, according to which the earth is currently heading towards a warming of 2.5 to 2.9 degrees Celsius.
Last year, the environmental program entitled its own report “The window is closing”. What was meant at the time was that states could still act to achieve the Paris climate goals. But also that they have to be quick if they want to be successful. The current report is now called “Broken Record” in English. UNEP head Inger Andersen said on Monday that climate scientists were repeating their warnings over and over again like a broken record. “Broken Record” can also roughly mean: “These records are no longer normal.” And the authors of the report also have this meaning in mind. Because 2023, emphasized Andersen, will also be the year of heat records.
Oxfam calls for new taxes on climate-damaging behavior
It is impossible to predict exactly when the 1.5 degree threshold will be exceeded – but the number of days on which the global average temperature is already above this value is increasing. According to the environmental program, 86 days this year were on average more than 1.5 degrees warmer than in pre-industrial times. The average temperature for the whole of September was 1.8 degrees higher. The cause is clear: greenhouse gas emissions are at record levels.
According to the authors, the time window within which decisive action can be taken against these records has not yet closed. But all G-20 countries would have to reduce their emissions faster than before (or even start doing so). None of these states, which are crucially responsible for the gas mix in the atmosphere, are currently in the process of becoming climate neutral – especially not as quickly as most of these states have actually promised and, in some cases, stipulated in laws. Guterres emphasized that states with great wealth (and high CO2 emissions) in particular must lead the way and help other states.
If emissions fell by 42 percent by 2030, it would still be possible to achieve the 1.5 degree target. With a decline of 28 percent, global warming could probably be limited to 2 degrees this century.
Ralph Bollmann Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 36 Lilly Bittner, Joachim Müller-Jung and Martin Franke Published/Updated: Recommendations: 164 Michaela Wiegel, Paris Published/Updated: Recommendations: 264
The development organization Oxfam pointed out another aspect of the different responsibilities for the climate crisis on Monday. Accordingly, in 2019, the richest percent of the world’s population caused as many greenhouse gases as the poorer two-thirds of the world’s population. If you look at the richest ten percent – which includes a little more than one in two Germans – you see, according to Oxfam, responsibility for around 50 percent of global emissions. Oxfam therefore called for new taxes on climate-damaging behavior.
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