UN Denounces Serious Lack of Progress on Climate Change Issues

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Friday released a report exposing the international community's serious lack of progress in the fight against climate change.

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So far, only 40 percent of countries that are signatories to the Paris Agreement have submitted their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which are non-binding plans highlighting policies and actions governments aim to implement as a contribution to achieving global targets.

Among the countries that have not fulfilled their obligation are China, India, and the United States, the three countries that generate the highest volumes of environmental pollution.

The nations that submitted NDCs account for only 30 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. In analyzing their plans, however, the UNFCCC found that these countries committed to reducing their emissions by only 1 percent by 2030.

This target does not contribute to solving the global problem. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommended a 45 percent cut to achieve climate neutrality by mid-century and avoid a global temperature increase of over 1.5 degrees Celsius. If this limit is exceeded, scientists foresee catastrophic damage.

"Current levels of ambition are far from putting us on track to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement," the UNFCCC Secretary Patricia Espinosa said.

"We have run out of time... We need something much more radical... We have no alternative. Humanity is endangering its very permanence in this world," she stressed and urged all countries to submit their NDCs as soon as possible.