Christian Aid response to UN climate Synthesis Report

Responding to the publication of the UNFCCC Synthesis Report assessing national pledges under the Paris Agreement, Christian Aid climate policy lead, Dr Kat Kramer, said:

“It is unutterably appalling that the combined impact of the pledges that have been made put the world on course to achieve only a 1% reduction in emissions by 2030 from 2010 levels. The science suggests that even for a 50% chance of limiting warming to 1.5ºC, emissions will need to roughly halve over that same period.  Those are the same odds as playing Russian roulette with three bullets in the chamber. This is a call to action. We need the same concentrated urgency that created multiple vaccines to tackle COVID as we do to tackle the greatest existential threat in the history of humanity.
 
“It’s disgraceful that just 75 countries, which cover only 30% of global emissions, have submitted new national climate plans. The real laggards are rich industrialised nations such as Australia, Japan and Jacinda Ardern’s New Zealand, as well as Brazil whose rainforests burn ever brighter at the behest of its monstrously destructive president. It’s vital they change course in time for COP26 summit this November.”

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