Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Patricia Espinosa announced that by the deadline of July 30, only slightly more than 50% of the countries joining the Paris Agreement on combating climate change had submitted a national carbon reduction target and roadmap.
Originally, the countries participating in the Paris Agreement had to announce their emissions reduction targets by the end of 2020, but due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, the deadline for submission was extended.
Recent severe heat waves, droughts and floods are “red alerts”, urging countries to act more drastically to cope with climate change.
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A view showing a wildfire burning outside of the town of Lytton, forcing everyone to evacuate, in British Columbia, Canada, July 1, 2021. (Photo: Reuters)
The consequences ofa climate change are extreme weather events that are appearing with increasing frequency, seriously threatening human health and life. In July, 2021, the Nordic countries, the US and Canada experienced extremely hot days when temperatures rose to srecord high. Along with intense heat, widespread wildfires have ravaged parts of North America.
Meanwhile, some European countries such as Germany, Belgium, Austria, and the Netherlands have had to fight against historic flooding, which claimed the lives of hundreds of people. In a climate report released in the UK, researchers conclude that climated change has made the UK warmer and sunnier this century.
In just a few months, the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) will take place in Glasgow, the UK. This conference is expected to open the door of opportunity for the parties to exchange and agree on breakthrough measures towards the goal of keeping the global temperature rise in this century below 2 degrees Celsius, thereby helping reduce the extreme weather caused by climate change.
The United Nations has warned that climate change will reshape life on Earth in the coming decades. The urgent task at the moment of all countries is to race against time to cope with climate change as well as join hands to protect the future of all mankind.
