Action needed to avoid disastrous overshoot of climate targets, according to organisation’s environment body
The world needs to cut carbon emissions by nearly a fifth in the next four years, and by close to half within a decade, to avoid overshooting climate targets by a disastrous margin.
Although the “window has closed” on holding temperature rises to 1.5C, in line with scientific advice, limiting the “overshoot” of that target is still possible, according to the UN Environment Programme (Unep).
But countries are failing to translate their long-term targets on reducing emissions into short-term actions, a report on the “emissions gap” between climate goals and policies has found.
Theres less than zero chance China or the US would do this.
At the height of global lockdowns in early April 2020, daily global fossil CO₂ emissions fell by 17% to 19% compared to 2019 levels.
Main Contributors to the Drop:
- Surface transport (cars and trucks): ~43% of the total reduction
- Industry and power generation: ~43% combined
- Aviation: ~10% to 12%
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eh, we’re looking at a grim future either way at this point.
Only way I can picture the world cutting by that amount, is if there’s a massive collapse of western civilization / the wealthy get purged, and technology goes backwards. We won’t do that willingly, so the world will instead continue its trajectory, with the worst of climate change impact hitting poor people – and rich people / wealthy people using their assets to eek out a mediocre lifestyle in the future. I doubt we’d totally die off, barring something truly cataclysmic.
I doubt Rosa Luxemburg was referring to climate collapse when she talked about the choice between socialism or barbarism, but here we are.
Maybe. I’m not so sure socialism would really change anything though, on the aggregate in terms of climate collapses.
Socialism isn’t by default Eco-friendly / Eco-conscientious. Capitalism tends to have all the benefits from climate destroying stuff go to a capitalist class – socialism could easily take the form of still pushing climate destroying stuff, but distributing the benefits to the masses. Depending on the scale of the change (which is likely to be massive), diversifying the benefits could result in no human surviving, rather than just a subset of the wealthy.
For a random example to explain the thought, really ‘loose’ example admittedly. Under socialism, theoretically you’d have a fairer distribution of wealth so that housing would be more equitable – most people would get a simple starter-type home to live in. Rich person doomsday bunker type homes would be almost unheard of, as no individual would amass so much wealth that they could build em. In the socialist approach, each individual home has a smaller climate footprint, but the volume of homes built could have a similar net impact on the environment in the aggregate. So if it gets so bad that you need a bunker, humanity all dies together, equitably?
We won’t
Nobody takes the UN seriously anymore anyway. Russia, Israel and the US have ruined its credibility
The only way we can cut emission this fast is with a guillotine.
Best I can do is a 25% increase
Line. Must. Go. Up! 💹
If only the pandemic had taken out 2 or 3 billion people…
Spoiler alert, we won’t…
Best we can hope for is hyperscale data centres to create big brother and skynet.
Agi will fix this /s
Indeed, terminate all humans
AI: “mo humans no problems”
Easiest path to victory for Skynet would be to just crank up global warming
Funny that you mention it…
AI bust and oil wars started by idiots making renewable preferable will go a long way.
At this point they just say it to show how hopeless our situation is. In 10 years they will say “World must invent time machine, go back in time and prevent AI bubble from happening to keep temperature rise below 2C”.
Duh it’s not anthropogenic, obviously nothing will work. The ‘urgency’ will get worse and worse and all they’ll come up with is carbon tax, carbon allowance, restrictions for everyone except epstein class. Instead of prepping. Its so fucking obvious, I’m dumb as fuck and I can see it. Embarrassing.
I’m dumb as fuck
Yes.
Embarrassing
Yes.
It’s blatantly obvious climate change is anthropogenic there’s tons of evidence and overwhelming consensus amongst the scientific community globally.
Overwhelming consensus in ignoring space weather and the fact that climate has done nothing else other than change since eons.
Not only that, we’re actively working against it.
Our best hope is war making oil too complicated.
China is still expanding with coal and pinky promising they will peak in 2030 before going down
Expensive oil will help but won’t do enough
I’m no Sino cheerleader, but China has a plan and is executing. Love 'em or hate 'em, the 21st century is China’s century.
Yeah they’ve got a plan to keep expanding emmissions
I don’t really see how that’s a thing to cheer for under this cry for help in the OP
China’s doing what every industrial nation did in the 20th century, pollute their way to the top, but at least they’re doing it with a plan to roll back. Here in America we’re purposefully making emissions worse with no future plans.
I also find it amusing when Westerners bitch about China doing exactly what they did to get on top economically.
“Hey! You can’t do the bad shit we did!”
“I learned it from you dad!” :)
China’s coal use per capita is monstrous, but oil use per capita is falling. Given that their green energy exports are not carbon-free manufacturing, well, TANSTAAFL.
“dad”?
I don’t think you understand how serious this issue is
Ever notice how when someone doesn’t have a solid rebuttal, they pick one tiny thing about your comment to highlight?
My point stands: China’s doing the same shit today that the West did to come out on top of the economic heap. And now we’re all offended? And again, they’re treating emissions as a temporary evil whereas America is actively rolling back rules and regulations.
China is doing much better than the rest of the world in converting to renewables imo, can’t happen overnight.
“Can’t happen overnight” …but it’s already too late and they are still rising
And “converting to renewables better” doesn’t mean much when their main priority is expanding production
Here’s a better chart with data until 2024. China really does need to start reducing their emissions soon or they’re gonna fuck us all.
Holy shit I didn’t realize it was that bad
They’ve flattened over the last couple of years missing from that chart. Despite not stopping development and making the world’s shit.
yeah I think it always needs to be pointed out that the rise in both china and india and the leveling off and falling in the us and europe are more a factor of offshoring manufacturing than anything else.
Bloody hell, I thought chinas investment in green energy was the one good news story about climate change. This is surprising.
It is. Y’all are also neglecting that during this period China modernized faster than anyone ever before. They brought hundreds of millions out of poverty and rapidly grew into a modern industrial power.
China’s investment in green energy and transportation is a good news story about climate change and China’s investment in its people is a good news story about human well being (disregarding oppression an genocide of course). Up until now they grew faster than they greened, but those lines are crossing
Per capita, China’s emissions are still far lower than the US.
I mean I’m not out to darken everyone’s day. But this isn’t happening.
well of course. I mean if they had told us sooner maybe but how was anyone to know? /s
Well China opened like 50 coal power plants in 2025 alone, they have roughly 2,000 in operation. Second is India with like 230, and the US is third with about 213.
So let’s guess where a good place to start is. Might fix the AQI so it isn’t pegged at 999, for reference New York City is typically 12-22.
Per person we’re still the biggest polluter. I don’t think it’s even that close. Feel free to check this.
Well China opened like 50 coal power plants in 2025 alone, they have roughly 2,000 in operation. Second is India with like 230, and the US is third with about 213.
So let’s guess where a good place to start is
Not ordering cheap Chinese crap off Amazaliexprtemu?
Reserve plants are counted by how much they’re used which hasn’t been that high so far, not the total amount they could burn if used 100%. They are going all in on solar with coal backup.
Enough with these “by X years” projections, it keeps giving governments that there’s still time to kick the can. Just publish “this is how much we are over the emissions budget TODAY” and make it clear that as long as it’s above 0 that means we are truly, really fucking ourselves and future generations.
I envision a rocket flying directly into the sun and the two pilots discussing when they should start turning.
While true, it won’t bother those in power and those with money…
Cutting down on emissions is expensive and nobody with the power to change anything wants to be the one who is responsible for everything getting expensive
Yeah, all the decisions shouldn’t be made by hyper-geriatrics who don’t have to live through the ramifications.
Yeah, that’ll do it 🙄
Fat chance of that. The Trump Regime doesn’t give a shit about the future of the nation, let alone the world. So long as they have bunkers, our ‘leaders’ feel fine with dire outcomes.
