Greenhouse Gas Emissions Need To Be Reduced By 42 Percent By 2030 - UNEP

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 18. Greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced by 42 percent by 2030, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Inger Andersen said during the COP29 ministerial roundtable on global climate transparency, Trend reports.

"In 2023, global carbon dioxide emissions increased by 1.3 percent, despite numerous international commitments. We have the opportunity to make a huge leap forward by renewing commitments and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 57 percent by 2035. This is a monumental task, but it is achievable. If we fail, the consequences will be catastrophic," Andersen emphasized.

According to her, humanity continues to move in the wrong direction in the fight against climate change.

"Emission reductions are possible through increased use of solar and wind energy, reducing deforestation, restoring forest ecosystems, and managing forests, as well as implementing methane reduction strategies and adopting principles of a circular economy," she pointed out.

"Now is the time for global mobilization. We need new commitments that include specific sectoral and national targets, realistic transition pathways, policies, and financing. The success of these measures depends on full transparency, allowing us to track the fulfillment of promises," Andersen added.

She also stressed the importance of the Paris Agreement's Transparency Framework in building trust and ensuring accurate data on progress in the fight against climate change.

To note, the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will run until November 22, opened at the Baku Olympic Stadium on November 11. It is the largest event organized by Azerbaijan to date, and the first time in the region that it is being held in Azerbaijan.

Within COP29, the highest level event - the summit of world leaders on climate action - was held on November 12–13.

The main expectation from COP29 is to agree on a fair and ambitious New Collective Quantitative Goal (NCQG) on climate finance. The COP29 chairmanship has launched 14 initiatives that include linkages between climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, including green energy corridors, green energy storage, harmony for climate resilience, clean hydrogen, methane reduction in organic waste, action on green digital technologies, and other topics.

In addition to being a top priority that creates the conditions for action, creating climate finance will also help fulfill the 1.5°C pledge by bringing everyone together.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Rio Earth Summit in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference in the climate system. The acronym COP (Conference of Parties) stands for“Conference of Parties” and is the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

A total of 198 countries are parties to the Convention. Unless otherwise decided by the parties, COP is held annually. The first COP event was held in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn.

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