Global Climate Plans Still Fall Short

Ahead of the Cop28 climate summit beginning tomorrow in Dubai, Sultan Al Jaber, the Cop28 president-designate has said that he believes an "unprecedented outcome" is still on the cards - keeping alive hopes that a deal committing to the limiting of global temperature rises to 1.5°C may still be achievable.

In an interview with The Guardian, Al Jaber spoke of the "positive momentum" he has seen in recent weeks, adding: "Getting back on track, and ensuring that the world accepts a robust understanding of a roadmap to 2030 that will keep 1.5°C within reach is my only goal.”

Despite many national governments seemingly recognizing the urgency of the climate situation, the latest estimates from Climate Action Tracker suggest that the current 2030 pledges will result in a global median temperature increase of 2.4°C by 2100 - dangerously higher than the 1.5°C target formalized by the Paris Agreement.

Even in the best-case scenario, an increase of 1.8°C is forecast (with lower and upper estimates of 1.5 and 2.3). As Climate Action Tracker warns, "global efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C are failing across the board, with recent progress made on every indicator - except electric passenger car sales - lagging significantly behind the pace and scale that is necessary to address the climate crisis."