'It's crunch time': UN says huge cuts are needed in emissions

The huge cuts in carbon emissions needed to end the climate crisis mean it is "crunch time for real", according to the UN's environment chief.

- Damian Carrington

An unprecedented global mobilisation of renewable energy, forest protection and other measures is needed to steer the world off the current path towards a catastrophic temperature rise of 3.1C, a report from the UN Environment Programme (Unep) has found.

Extreme heatwaves, storms, droughts and floods are ravaging communities with less than 1.5C of global heating to date.

Current carbon-cutting promises by countries for 2030 are not being met, according to the report, and even if they were met, the temperature rise would only be limited to a still-disastrous 2.6C to 2.8C.

There is no more time for "hot air", the report said, urging nations to act at the Cop29 summit in November.

Keeping the international goal of 1.5C within reach was technically possible, said the report, but it required emissions to fall by 7.5% annually until 2035.

That means halting emissions equivalent to those of the EU every year for a decade.

Delaying emissions cuts means steeper reductions would be needed in future.

Unep said countries must collectively commit to cut 42% off annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and 57% by 2035 in their next UN pledges, called nationally determined contributions and due in February.

Without these pledges, and rapid action to back them up, the 1.5C goal would be gone, the UN said.