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.
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 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.
Best I can do is a 25% increase
Line. Must. Go. Up! 💹
Meanwhile the most sold car in north America is a huge pickup truck.
An F150 can get as much as 25mpg while my wife’s Volvo S60 gets 30mpg.
And a 2012 Camry hybrid does 40mpg, what’s you point?
Shit, a 1990 CRX would do that.
That new trucks aren’t necessarily gas guzzlers, they’re clearly worse, but only the monster powertrains with monster price tags are stupid awful. No one bags on me for my 2004 F150 because it’s neither huge nor a pavement princess, but it gets half the mileage of a new one.
I left out hybrids so as to compare apples to apples. If we want to go there, there are hybrid versions of my wife’s car.
I’m comparing cars with cars. The vast majority of pickup owners don’t need a truck. The average owners uses the bed of the truck twice a year. Just look at how shinny and clean all the pickup on the roads are.
The funniest part is the truck gets bigger, while the bed is always 6 ft.
I work with a few people who use F-250 (and comparable Chevy/dodge) just as a commute vehicle. It really pisses me off.
Here in Missouri that’s just the norm.
are you comparing highway to highway and city to city. this does not seem right.
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.
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.
I envision a rocket flying directly into the sun and the two pilots discussing when they should start turning.
Spoiler alert, we won’t…
Best we can hope for is hyperscale data centres to create big brother and skynet.
Easiest path to victory for Skynet would be to just crank up global warming
Funny that you mention it…
Agi will fix this /s
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
China is doing much better than the rest of the world in converting to renewables imo, can’t happen overnight.
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.
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.
Holy shit I didn’t realize it was that bad
Bloody hell, I thought chinas investment in green energy was the one good news story about climate change. This is surprising.
Per capita, China’s emissions are still far lower than the US.
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
“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
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
AI bust and oil wars started by idiots making renewable preferable will go a long way.
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.
Yeah, that’ll do it 🙄
