Editor’s comment

Editor Nombulelo Manyana Managing editor Alastair Currie Editorial coordinator Ziyanda Majodina Head of design Beren Bauermeister Designer Janine Schacherl Chief sub-editor Tristan Snijders Contributors Mpendulo Ginindza, Kate Stubbs

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EVERY degree

MATTERS

limate change is one of the defining

Ccrises of our generation and it is happening even more quickly than we previously thought. The recordbreaking heat, floods, storms, drought and wildfires devastating communities around the world underscore the grave risks we already face.

Tonnes of CO are released into the atmosphere 2 every year by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. Human activity is also producing greenhouse gas emissions at an alarming rate. Experts are sounding the alarm and pushing for bold and decisive action to be taken, in order to tackle this climate crisis.

However, according to a 10-year summary of the annual United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report, the world is on track to maintain a business-as-usual trajectory. The UNEP Emissions Gap Report series tracks our progress in limiting global warming to well below 2˚C and pursuing 1.5˚C, in line with the Paris Agreement.

Since 2010, it has provided an annual science-based assessment of the gap between estimated future global greenhouse gas emissions if countries were to implement their climate mitigation pledges, and where they should be to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Falling way short

The summary report found that the international community is falling far short of the Paris goals, with no credible pathway to 1.5˚C in place. The Emissions Gap Report 2022 found that the world must cut emissions by 45% to avoid global catastrophe.

Solutions to transform societies exist, but the time for collective, multilateral action is now. The message is loud and clear: only an urgent, ‘system-wide transformation’ can deliver the enormous cuts needed to limit greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Action is needed in the electricity supply, industry, transport and building sectors, and the food and financial systems that would back these changes. Even if the transformation fails to fully bridge the 2030 emissions gap, every fraction of a degree matters!

Launching theses various transformative initiatives is necessary to move towards a carbon-neutral future that will allow us to limit global warming and deliver other social and environmental benefits, like clean air, green jobs and universal energy access. The report outlines key actions needed to advance the transformation, including: • avoiding lock-in of new fossil-fuelintensive infrastructure • further advancing zero-carbon technologies, market structures and planning for a just transformation • applying zero-emissions technology and behavioural changes to sustain reductions to reach zero emissions.

The message is clear: transformation through action in the electrical supply, industrial, transport and building sectors, as well as our food and financial systems, can help us win the fight against climate change.

Nombulelo