Latest Developments in Climate Change

Latest Developments in Climate Change

Sham Fu-cheung

Countries need to redouble their efforts to reduce emissions in order to achieve the goal of the Paris Agreement

According to the “Emissions Gap Report 2020”, published by the United Nations, global greenhouse gas emissions in 2019 reached 59.1 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, setting a new record for the third consecutive year. Although the global emissions of carbon dioxide decreased briefly in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide continued rising. If countries that participated in the Climate Change Conference held in Paris in 2015 only reduce their emissions according to the commitments they made, global warming will be about 3.2 °C by the end of this century, which is far above the targets of 2 °C and 1.5 °C in the Paris Agreement.