Countries will prepare for the next round of climate change talks in November.
There will be a financial package to help developing countries.
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said in its annual review that the "nationally determined contributions" (NDCs) countries have submitted to the United Nations are enough to cut global emissions by 2.6% between 2019 and 2030, up from 2% last year.
The actual results are far from enough to meet the 43% cut scientists say is needed to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
As part of their Paris obligations, countries must deliver new and stronger NDCs by a deadline in February next year and the report's findings will mark a "watershed moment", said Simon Stiell, UNFCCC Secretary-General.
“Current national climate plans fall far short of what is needed to prevent global warming from crippling every economy and destroying billions of lives and livelihoods across every country,” Stiell said.
Persuading countries to make and deliver on more ambitious commitments may depend on the success of the COP29 climate talks starting next November in the Azerbaijani capital Baku.
Nearly 200 countries will discuss details of a new global emissions trading system as well as a $100 billion annual financial package to help developing countries meet their climate goals.
“What we see is that in some cases, (the NDC process) can be used as a negotiating mechanism — more money for more ambition,” said Pablo Vieira, global director of the NDC Partnership, a non-governmental group that is helping about 60 countries draft updated commitments.
“They also want to make sure that the new NDCs are investable, that they have the necessary elements that will attract not only public finance but also private finance,” he said.
Atmospheric CO2 hits new record
In a separate report, the UN's climate watchdog said on Monday (October 28, 2024) that greenhouse gases (CO2) have accumulated in the atmosphere "faster than at any time in human existence" over the past two decades.
Carbon dioxide concentrations hit a new high of 420 parts per million (ppm) last year, up 2.3ppm from a year earlier and having increased by 11.4% in just 20 years, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said in its annual greenhouse gas bulletin.
The report warns that there are signs that rising temperatures are causing dangerous "feedbacks" that further increase greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
Last year's rise in CO2 levels, the second-largest annual increase in the past decade, was likely due to an increase in wildfires, with the carbon released from Canada's worst-ever wildfire season exceeding the annual emissions of most major countries.
CO2 concentrations are now 51% higher than pre-industrial levels, while methane - another powerful greenhouse gas - is 165% higher than in 1750, the WMO said.
"This should make decision-makers ring the alarm bells. These are not just statistics. Every fraction of a temperature rise has a real impact on our lives and our planet," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.
