Emissions Gap Report 2023: Broken Record – Temperatures hit new highs, yet world fails to cut emissions (again)

The Emissions Gap Report 2023 was published on November 20, 2023 by the United Nations Environment Programme. It is the 14th edition of the annual UNEP Emissions Gap Report (EGR), the first of which was published in 2011. The report presents an assessment of the gap between the estimated future global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions if countries fulfil their stated targets, and the global emission levels from the ‘least-cost pathways’ for limiting global warming to 2°C below ‘pre-industrial levels’ by 2100.This 2023 EGR was published in advance of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28). Around 79 scientists from 22 different nations and 47 specialised institutions worked together to prepare the report. It sets the stage for the next round of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that countries are requested to submit in 2025, which will include emissions reduction targets for 2035.The report notes that at the time of the Paris Agreement, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were predicted to increase by 16 per cent by 2030. Today, they’re projected to increase three per cent. However, emissions must still fall by 28 per cent for the world to limit warming below 2°C.The 108-page report comprises seven chapters: Introduction (Chapter 1); Global emissions trends (Chapter 2); Nationally determined contributions and long-term pledges: The global landscape and G20 member progress (Chapter 3); The emissions gap in 2030 and beyond (Chapter 4); Global energy transformation in the context of the Paris Agreement (Chapter 5); Energy transitions for low-carbon development futures in low- and middle-income countries: Challenges and opportunities (Chapter 6); and The role of carbon dioxide removal in achieving the Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goal.