A goal has been set: keep global warming levels from exceeding 2 degrees Celsius by 2050. Fifty-one countries filed their climate change action plans aimed to contribute to the overall reduction of global warming.
Unfortunately, the plans on hand are still not enough to keep emissions of global greenhouse gas from going over the international target, said research group Climate Action Tracker (CAT), which has been monitoring global efforts in reducing climate change since 2009.
CAT's analysis published on Oct. 1 estimated that the current pledges, if implemented, would work to slow down climate change, but global warming would still grow to 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2050.
India's pledge included greenhouse gas intensity reduction from 33 to 35 percent by 2030, numbers that disappointed several international negotiators. Climate change analysts predicted a 77 percent leap in greenhouse gas emissions if India's economy expands at the same rate in the next 15 years. This potential increase would be responsible for roughly 11 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
The international consensus at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris is one of President Barack Obama's top priorities. In 2014, meetings between Obama and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi dealt with climate change plans.
Another nation in the spotlight is China, currently the planet's largest greenhouse gas emitter responsible for almost 30 percent of global emissions. In late September, Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the White House came with an announcement that a nationwide cap-and-trade system will be implemented in China by 2017.
This program gives a cap on certain pollutants emitted by a company. If a company emits lower than the cap amount, it can sell the excess allocation. Otherwise, it needs to buy allocations from other companies. China announced in June a target reduction of 60 to 65 percent by 2030.
The great divide between developing nations and highly-developed countries has been scrutinized in recent years when it comes to dealing with climate change. The commitment scale among nations remain flawed but the growing consensus for global greenhouse gas emissions is already a step towards a cleaner energy progress.
"What is ground breaking is that, for the first time, all of the major emitting nations of the world are committing to a truly international approach to addressing climate change," said lawyer Gary Guzy, who once served in the White House Council on Environmental Quality as deputy director and general counsel under the Obama administration.
Brazil, for instance, targets a 37 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and 43 percent by 2030. South Africa pledged a 34 percent decrease by 2020 and 42 percent by 2025. Sweden, on the other hand, committed to go fossil-free.
Around 50 countries who, collectively, are accountable for over 10 percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions have not submitted their plans, including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bolivia, Sudan, Iran, Nigeria, Venezuela and Egypt.
