Humanity is not out of the woods: Inger Andersen warns

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) called for urgent action to combat climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, warning that progress on all fronts remains “slow and uneven”.

“Last year brought both successes and disappointments in global efforts to tackle the triple planetary crisis,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen, introducing the agency’s latest Annual Report.

She also pointed to ongoing geopolitical tensions that are hindering environmental cooperation.

“Environmental multilateralism is sometimes messy and arduous. But even in complex geopolitical times, collaboration across borders and our differences is the only option to protect the foundation of humanity’s existence – Planet Earth.”

UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2024 warned that countries must cut emissions by 42 per cent by 2030 to keep global warming within the 1.5°C target agreed in the landmark Paris Agreement.

If they do not, the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2100 will not be achievable. Without drastic action, temperatures could rise between 2.6°C and 3.1°C this century, climate models warn, with catastrophic consequences.

“Nations must work towards agreeing on a strong instrument to end plastic pollution before the seventh UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in December,” Andersen said.

The UNEP head called for bolder commitments, particularly as countries prepare to submit their next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to limit global warming later in February. “Humanity is not out of the woods,” Ms. Andersen warned.

“Temperatures are rising, ecosystems are disappearing, and pollution remains a deadly threat. These are global problems that require global solutions. The world must pull together to build a fairer, more sustainable planet.”