Publication - 29 January, 2010
The UNFCCC secretariat's preliminary assessment of nations' pledges and voluntary commitments, 15 December 2009, to reduce carbon emissions finds that a significant gap remains that will lead to temperature increases of 3 degrees Celsius.
Executive summary: This preliminary assessment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, written 15 December 2009 during the Copenhagen Climate Summit, reviews the pledges made by Annex I countries and voluntary commitments made by Annex II countries to reduce carbon emissions. The draft states that while current commitments would - if implemented successfully - lead to a reduction in atmospheric carbon, there still remains a significant gap with the level required by science, meaning that emissions would peak after 2020 ensuring an increase in average global temperatures of at least 3 degrees Celsius. This means failing to stay within the agreed-on 2 degree Celsius limit, and would lead to dangerous, runaway climate change.
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Number of pages: 8