Researchers see the two-degree target for climate getting closer

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Experts see the international goal of limiting global warming to at least less than two degrees getting closer.

The Climate Action Tracker network, which evaluates the effect of previous state climate commitments, referred on Tuesday to new calculations according to which, if the commitments made and discussed so far, global warming of 2.4 degrees Celsius is to be expected by the end of the century.

This is noticeably less than a few months ago, said the head of the New Climate Institute, which is responsible for the tracker, Niklas Höhne. The new climate targets of the USA and the EU as well as China, but also from more than 100 other countries, have contributed in particular to the positive development. However, there are also a number of countries that have not submitted any new targets or whose new declarations do not lead to any major CO2 reductions, including Australia, Russia and India. In the case of Brazil there is even a deterioration.

"The emissions must be halved by 2030," demanded Höhne with a view to the global efforts.

That would still be significantly more than would be necessary to limit the warming to 1.5 degrees.

According to the Paris climate protection agreement, all countries are requested to present new, more ambitious goals by the next UN climate conference in Glasgow in November at the latest.

Actually, this should have taken place last year.

Next "great need for action"

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The international Petersberg Climate Dialogue has been about preparing for the UN conference since Monday - initially at the technical level.

Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and UN Secretary General António Guterres want to speak at the digital conference on Thursday.

Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) named the increase in international financial aid for poorer countries for climate protection and adaptation to climate impacts as well as the completion of the "toolbox" for the implementation of the Paris Agreement as the focus of the discussions. Among other things, this involves uniform reporting requirements for all countries.

Looking at the numbers from the Climate Action Tracker, Schulze said that they showed a positive development, but also that there was still a “great need for action”. In the past five years, however, it has at least been possible to “get within reach of two degrees” and “focus on 1.5 degrees”. The years up to 2030 should now become the “decade of socio-ecological restructuring” worldwide. Representatives from around 40 countries take part in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, mainly at ministerial level on Thursday and Friday.