UN report: Climate pollution reductions 'highly inadequate'

The world, especially richer carbon polluting nations, remains “far behind” and is not doing nearly enough -- not even promising to do enough -- to reach any of the global goals limiting future warming, a United Nations report said.

That “highly inadequate” inaction means the window is closing, but not quite shut yet, on efforts to keep future warming to just a few more tenths of a degree from now, according to Thursday’s Emissions Gap report from the United Nations Environment Programme.

“Global and national climate commitments are falling pitifully short,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday. “We are headed for a global catastrophe.”

The world is weaning itself from fossil fuels too slowly, the report and experts said.

“The report confirms the utterly glacial pace of climate action, despite the looming precipice of climate tipping points we’re approaching,” said climate scientist Bill Hare, head of Climate Analytics that also examines what countries are promising and doing about carbon emissions in its own analysis.

Instead of limiting warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, the global goals set by 2015 Paris agreement, the way the world is acting now, warming will hit 2.8 degrees (5 degrees Fahrenheit) by the year 2100, the UN report said. Countries concrete pledges would bring that down to 2.6 degrees (4.7 degrees Fahrenheit). It’s already warmed 1.1 degrees (2 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times.

“In all likelihood we will pass by 1.5,” UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen told The Associated Press in an interview. She didn't say when she thinks that would happen. “We can still do it, but that means 45% emissions reductions” by 2030.

“It’s really about...