Climate goals: an overview of the national plans – and what would be necessary

It has been six years since almost 200 countries pledged to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions at the Paris World Climate Conference. The G20 stepped up on Sunday: In the final declaration for their summit in Rome, the world’s strongest economies backed the so-called 1.5 degree target.

But scientists and environmentalists criticize the climate protection measures planned worldwide as not being ambitious enough. According to a UN survey, the earth is currently heading for a warming of 2.7 degrees in this century. An overview of the climate goals of the largest greenhouse gas emitters:

China

The world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, China, submitted its updated climate targets to the United Nations on Thursday – three days before the start of the world climate conference COP26 in Glasgow. In its updated NDC, Beijing reaffirmed its self-commitment to climate neutrality by 2060. In addition, the maximum value for CO2 emissions should be reached in the current decade. China wants to reduce its emissions by more than 65 percent compared to 2005. In the previous version of its NDC, China had promised to cut its emissions by 60 to 65 percent by 2030.

President Xi Jinping had already announced the goal of climate neutrality at the UN General Assembly last year. At the moment, however, it still seems a long way to go: Against the background of the high demand for electricity, China is currently expanding its particularly CO2-intensive coal-fired power.

USA

Under its then President Barack Obama, the US was a driving force behind the Paris Agreement. In its first NDC, the country pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 percent by 2025 compared to 2005. There was a U-turn under Obama’s successor Donald Trump: The Republican led his country out of the Paris Agreement and refused to international efforts to do more climate protection. After Trump was voted out of office and President Joe Biden took office, the United States rejoined the Paris Agreement.

The current NDC in the USA envisages a 50 to 52 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2005. This is compatible with the two-degree target formulated in the Paris climate protection agreement. However, according to the analysis portal Climate Action Tracker (CAT), the US climate targets are not sufficient to achieve the maximum global warming demanded by climate protectors by a maximum of 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial age.

Europe

Six years ago, the European Union initially committed itself to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. In December 2020, the EU states updated this target – by the end of the decade, a reduction in emissions of “at least 55 percent” is planned. This means that the EU is meeting the two-degree target according to the CAT. In addition, the EU wants to be the first continent to become climate neutral by 2050.

Great Britain, which has since left the EU, has set its goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 by law. In December, the UK also announced that it would reduce its emissions by 68 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. According to CAT, the British contribution to climate protection would even be compatible with the 1.5 degree target.

If

India is the third largest CO2 emitter in the world – although the so-called ecological footprint in the country is on average well below that of the populations of other industrialized countries. India had committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 compared to 2005. The country has not yet submitted its updated NDC.

Russia

Russia did not officially join the Paris Agreement on Climate Change until 2019, and the country presented its first NDC the following year. This envisages a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 – which, according to CAT, is clearly “insufficient”. Recently, President Vladimir Putin then set the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2060. In which steps exactly this should take place, he did not explain.

Japan

In 2016, Japan decided to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent by 2030. When the country set the same goal in its updated NDC in March 2020, it drew sharp criticism from experts.

This month, the government then presented more ambitious plans: According to this, Japan should achieve a reduction in its emissions of 46 percent compared to 2030 by 2030 – which, according to CAT, is in line with the two-degree target. Japan should be climate neutral by 2050.