UNFCCC countries formally submit carbon emission reduction plans
[ added 2 February, 2010 ]
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The Copenhagen accord required industrialised countries and rapidly emerging economies like India and China to formally notify their plans to act on carbon emissions by 31 January. Few nations were able to suggest deep emissions cuts in response to the climate change emergency, thus raising concerns with the UN experts.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has published 55 countries submissions to cut and limit greenhouse gases by 2020. According to the UN, these countries together account for 78% of global emissions from energy use. However, none of the accord signatories with legally binding obligations upped its pledge. Most major nations, including the United States, the European Union, China, India and Japan merely reiterated earlier pledges to curb emissions by 2020.
Reiterating earlier pledges
The European Union reiterated its unilateral commitment to reduce the EU's overall emissions by 20% of 1990 levels and a conditional offer to increase this cut to 30% provided that other major emitters agree to take on their fair share of a global reduction effort.
The United States repeated President Obama’s pledge to cut emissions in the range of 17% in 2020 compared to 2005 levels. However, the US commitment is contingent on Congress passing climate change legislation. Already several Senators expect that the chances of the Senate taking up energy and climate before the end of 2010 are slim. This could put at stake the prospect of reaching a concrete post 2010 climate deal at the next UNFCCC conference of the parties in Mexico in December.
Japan repeated its 25% emission reduction target compared to 1990 levels.
Australia committed to unilaterally reducing emissions by 5% below 2000 levels by 2020 and pledged to up its commitment to 25% in the case where an ambitious climate deal is struck.
China said it would reduce its carbon intensity by 40 to 45% by 2020, compared to 2005 levels.
India said its carbon intensity would fall by 20 to 25% over the same period.
Norway and Maldives set high benchmark
Norway reaffirmed its unilateral pledge to cut emissions by at least 30% below 1990 levels by 2020 compared to 1990 levels and a conditional pledge to deepen the cuts to 40% if other nations showed more ambition as part of an international agreement in line with the scientific view that global warming should be kept below 2°C in order to prevent dangerous climate change. The 30% emission reduction pledge would be among the most ambitious of any developed nation.
The Maldives on the other hand has pledged to go carbon neutral by 2020, cutting its net carbon dioxide emissions by 100%, under a voluntary and unconditional mitigation plan.
UN scepticism after the announcements
Janos Pasztor, the top climate adviser to the UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, said to an interview with the UK Guardian that the goals, submitted to the UN as part of a voluntary plan to roll back emissions, make it highly unlikely the world can prevent temperatures from rising above the target set at the Copenhagen climate conference in December.
Links
Visit the UNFCCC page providing an overview of the submissions by industrialised countries
Visit the UNFCCC page providing an overview of the national mitigation actions of developing country Parties
