"Governments' climate pledges are still very far from the path we need to follow if we want to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement." Patricia Espinosa, secretary of the Unfccc, the United Nations Framework Convention on climate change, commented with regret and disappointment on the new synthesis report assessing countries' commitments to curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

Only 75 nations have put forward new climate pledges

The analysis is entitled the NDC Synthesis Report, as it evaluates the Nationally Determined Contributions — the documents in which each government has set out how it intends to contribute to limiting global warming. The first were submitted by governments around the world ahead of the twenty-first Conference of the Parties, COP 21, at the end of which the Paris Agreement was reached. The assessment of those pledges, however, indicated that they were decidedly insufficient in terms of keeping the rise in global average temperature, by 2100, to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees.

It is for this reason that the United Nations itself asked governments to revise their NDCs — and to do so by 31 December 2020. However, as the synthesis report confirms, only 75 nations (representing approximately 30 per cent of global emissions) have submitted new — and more ambitious — pledges to reduce CO2. Among the "diligent" are a great many low-climate-impact nations and only two high-impact ones: the United Kingdom and the group of 27 member states of the European Union. All the others have not responded.

We will cut emissions by 1% by 2030, when 45% is what is needed

"Although — the Unfccc explains — there have been some improvements, the current trend leads us to a reduction of just one percentage point in emissions by 2030 compared to 2010 levels. Whereas the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Ipcc, ed.) has stated that the reduction must be around 45 per cent if the 1.5-degree target is to be met."

Patricia Espinosa announced that a second report will be published ahead of the forthcoming COP 26, scheduled for November in Glasgow, Scotland. She also issued a fresh appeal, particularly to nations that emit large quantities of greenhouse gases, to submit their NDCs as soon as possible.