NDCs: "Unless we act soon, it will soon be too late to act.”

Responding to the publication of the UN's synthesis report assessing the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) which make up the Paris Agreement, Christian Aid's climate policy lead, Dr Kat Kramer, said:

“Today’s latest analysis of the emissions reductions pledges made to date paints a stark and ominous picture of the future of the world and its people. Unless that is, countries, especially the G20, increase their pledges to do their fair share towards reducing emissions in line with the 1.5ºC temperature goal they agreed in Paris. Analysis by Climate Action Tracker has found that none of the G20 countries’ pledges are 1.5ºC compatible: only The Gambia, so far, has put forward a pledge in line with this vital goal. Even worse, some G20 countries, like Australia, China and Russia, have not yet enhanced their 2015 pledge.
 
“The climate-related impacts that we have seen just this year, from floods in the Philippines, India, China, Europe, US, to the climate-famine in Madagascar, to the mice plague in Australia, show that even 1ºC of warming can cause deaths and serious damage to lives and livelihoods.
 
“We call on the world’s leaders to act on the climate crisis at the speed and scale needed to keep the 1.5ºC goal alive. This means setting scientifically-credible and fair pledges - and implementing them. At COP26, it means agreeing solidarity packages to enable poorer countries to leapfrog the fossil-fuelled development pathways of the North and to adapt to the already-inevitable climate impacts. It means coming to agreements that do not open up potential loopholes, such as in carbon markets and on accounting methodologies, that undermine the already-inadequate pledges.

"Unless we act soon, it will soon be too late to act.”