Scientists confirmed that the consequences of an average 2 ° C rise in temperatures would be significantly worse than those of a 1.5 ° C rise. And they pointed out the recipe: to limit overheating to 1.5 ° C, CO2 emissions should be halved by 2030 and completely eliminated by 2050.
The report’s policy indications were strongly opposed by Saudi Arabia, which in the last 24 hours threatened to block its release if all references to the climate policies of national governments and the Paris Agreement were not removed from all 616 pages of the report. report. The Saudi delegation was backed by the Egyptian one, but ran into resistance from the island nations of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Grenada and Marshall, backed by Belgium and France. The United States, exiting the Paris Agreement under then President Donald Trump, presented an official statement in which they made it clear that it did not approve the report.
The reduction plans
Faced with this rift, IPCC rules dictate that conflicting views be officially registered, but scientists have the last word and therefore both the Paris Agreement and national governments’ climate goals were mentioned in the report.
Since then, the report has become the bible of climate activists, investors and politicians around the world. Most major emitters, from China to the United States, have committed to carbon neutrality targets, but as of July 31, the deadline for submitting emission reduction plans, only 110 had submitted plans to the UN.
Major economies, including China, India, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, have yet to meet the requirements set out in the Paris Agreement. Saudi Arabia has signed the Paris Agreement and would like to be seen as a facilitator of global agreements against the climate emergency, but it remains a skeptical voice in most international fora and aims to find a solution that allows it to continue to sell its oil.