What the United Nations wants the world to do and what Australia, comparable developed countries, and China are promising ahead of the COP26 climate summit:
THE UNITED NATIONS
* The UN says nations must collectively cut emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 on the way to net zero emissions by 2050
* Current pledges are insufficient. By 2030 global emissions will be 16 per cent higher than they were in 2010
* Unless things change the world will fail to cap warming at 1.5C and ward off the worst effects of climate change
* Wealthy nations must do more to divert the world from a “catastrophic pathway” towards 2.7C of warming by the end of the century
AUSTRALIA
* Australia on Tuesday joined other nations in promising to achieve net zero emissions by 2050
* There will be no legislation or mandates attached to the target and the government has promised “it will not shut down coal or gas production”
* Australia has refused to formally increase its 2030 target, which was set in 2015 and promises to cut emissions by 26 to 28 per cent below 2005 levels
* But the Morrison government has promised to provide updated projections at COP26, indicating it will achieve cuts of 30 to 35 per cent by 2030
* That is still well below the collective 45 per cent cut by 2030 the UN says the world must get to
* Australia says it will decarbonise its economy while also continuing to export coal and gas “through to 2050 and beyond” and for as long as demand persists
THE UNITED KINGDOM
* The UK, which is hosting COP26 in Glasgow, goes into the summit with one of the world’s most ambitious 2030 targets
* It has pledged to cut emissions to at least 68 per cent below 1990 levels by then, and by 78 per cent by 2035
* The UK passed laws in 2019 committing itself to net zero emissions by 2050
* UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says a key priority of COP26 is to to get “all the countries in the world to move off coal”.
* The UK will not burn coal to generate electricity after September 2024
THE UNITED STATES
* President Joe Biden recommitted the US to net zero emissions by 2050 when he took over the presidency in January
* He goes into COP26 having promised to cut emissions by 50 to 52 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030
CHINA
* China, the world’s largest emitter, has set a target of reaching net zero emissions in 2060, a decade later than many
* It has also committed to reaching peak CO2 emissions by 2030 and has said it will stop financing coal projects overseas
* But it has also ordered its major coal-producing regions to increase output after rolling blackouts crippled factories earlier this year, raising concerns its targets might change
* In recent days, China said fossil fuels would be providing less than 20 per cent of its energy mix by 2060.
JAPAN
* Japan has promised to reach net zero by 2050
* Ahead of COP26 it has pledged to cut emissions by 46 per cent by 2030, below 2013 levels
CANADA
* Canada is committed to reach net-zero emissions by 2050
* Ahead of COP26 it has increased its target for 2030, to 40 to 45 per cent below 2005 levels
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