Concerns over unmet climate deal goals

The world needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7.6 per cent each year in the next 30 years in order to achieve the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.

According to this year’s Emissions Gap Report, unless there is concerted effort to reduce emission of the gases, the goal may not be achieved.

The report states that temperatures are expected to rise by 3.2 degrees Celsius, which is expected to bring “wider-ranging and more destructive climate impacts”. Efforts must be increased more than fivefold over the current levels for the next 10 years so as to achieve the goal.

Meanwhile, despite the reality of climate change, most countries have failed in their own plans to safeguard human health.

According to the World Health Organisation, in spite of many countries prioritising climate change and health, it is only about 38 per cent of the countries which have “finances in place to even partially implement their national strategy of the plan”. It is only fewer than 10 per cent of the countries which are channelling resources to fully implement the national strategy said WHO.

In a statement, WHO said the first global snapshot of progress on climate change and health drew on data from 101 countries which it surveyed. “Climate change is not only racking up a bill for future generations to pay, it’s a price that people are paying for now with their health,” said Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.