2023 Climate Report Card: 6 Takeaways From the UN Report

Under the Paris Agreement signed in 2015, 196 countries vowed to limit the rise in average global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels and pursue efforts to stay at 1.5 degrees Celsius.

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The countries also agreed to meet every five years (starting in 2023) to assess their progress towards handling the climate crisis. It’s an accountability exercise and is known as the global stocktake.

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In September 2023, the UN published a climate report card as part of the global stocktake. Here are some of the key points addressed in the report:

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1. We are not doing enough to curb climate change and avoid calamity

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The report states that governments are not reducing greenhouse gas emissions quickly enough to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement and prevent a climate catastrophe. However, it notes that many of the worst-case climate change scenarios that were feared in the early 2010s are much less likely today. It recognizes that the 2015 Paris Agreement has helped slow the increase in global greenhouse gases but warns that current efforts are insufficient to avert disaster.

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3. We urgently need to cut global emissions

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The current climate pledges point to a potentially hazardous 2.5 degrees Celsius or more of warming by 2100, and global emissions need to plunge roughly 60 percent by 2035 to avoid such a scenario. This requires a rapid expansion of renewable energy sources and a sharp decrease in pollution from fossil fuels. However, emissions are still rising, and there is a 20-23 gigatonnes of CO2 gap between the world’s current trajectory and the amount of emissions we need to cut by 2030.

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We need immediate action to combat climate change and avoid calamitous consequences.

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4. Governments must urgently take action to phase out fossil fuels

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The report has called for urgent action to phase out fossil fuels, stating that governments are failing to cut greenhouse gas emissions fast enough to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. It states that achieving net zero CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions requires system transformations across all sectors and contexts, including scaling up renewable energy while phasing out all unabated fossil fuels, ending deforestation, reducing non-CO2 emissions, and implementing supply and demand-side measures.

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5. Tackling the climate crisis is a collective responsibility

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Developing nations want wealthy emitters to reduce fossil fuel use and address climate change. The UN report doesn't blame any countries, which is a challenge in global climate talks. Developing nations can't afford to quickly switch from fossil fuels and adjust to hotter weather without help. The report says developing nations will need trillions to adapt to climate change. Wealthy emitters pledged to give $100 billion per year by 2020 but only provided $83.3 billion. The report calls for systemic reforms, such as changing lending practices at multilateral banks, to help countries with large debts.

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6. Progress and challenges in climate adaptation

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The report warns that progress in adapting to climate threats, such as building flood barriers and installing early-warning systems for tropical cyclones, is often incremental and unequally distributed. It notes that preparing for future threats, such as dwindling freshwater supplies and irreversible ecosystem damage, will require transformational changes in climate adaptation. The report highlights that many adaptation efforts need to catch up with increasing climate impacts and risks.

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The report, two years in the making and with input from hundreds of governments, scientists, and advocates, calls for immediate action to curb climate change. These points will serve as the foundation for the next round of UN climate negotiations, known as COP28.