Scientists working
with the United Nations recently confirmed that global carbon emissions need to
be cut by 45% by 2030 in order to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
The same scientists have found that global emissions are actually expected to
rise by 16% during this period, in one of the bleakest reports regarding the future
of the world after the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) report
warned of a “code red for humanity”.

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Scientists say
that if carbon emissions are not reduced by a significant degree, the Earth
could see a 2.7°C rise in temperature above pre-industrial times, a limit far
above those set by the international community. UN’s chief climate negotiator
Patricia Espinosa said, “The 16% increase is a huge cause of concern”.

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“It is in sharp
contrast with the calls by science for rapid, sustained and large-scale
emission reductions to prevent the most severe climate consequences and
suffering, especially of the most vulnerable throughout the world,” Espinosa
told the BBC.

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The dire warning
from UN scientists comes six weeks ahead of the United Nations Climate Change
Conference, COP26. The purpose of the event is to keep the hopes of limiting
the rise in global temperatures alive. According to the Paris Agreement,
countries are required to update their carbon reduction plans every five years.
However, according to the UN, only 113 out of 191 member nations have come up
with improved pledges.

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Alok Sharma, the
British minister who will chair COP26, said that nations that had ambitious
targets for climate have already managed to bend the curve, “but without action
from all countries, especially the biggest economies, these efforts risk being
in vain.”

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According to an
analysis by the World Resources Institute and Climate Analytics, China, India,
Saudi Arabia and Turkey are together responsible for 33% greenhouse emissions.
These countries are yet to submit updated plans to cut down on carbon
emissions.