Doomers Despair: U.N. Call for New Climate Targets Almost Entirely Ignored

A U.N. demand for countries to submit new targets for slashing carbon emissions was almost entirely ignored Monday, with heavy polluters China, India and the European Union amongst the biggest names on a lengthy absentee list.

Barely 10 of nearly 200 countries required under the Paris Climate Agreement to deliver fresh climate plans by February 10 did so on time, according to a U.N. database tracking the submissions, AFP reports.

Under the climate accord, each country is supposed to provide a steeper headline figure for cutting heat-trapping emissions by 2035, and a detailed blueprint for how to achieve this.

U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell has called this latest round of national pledges “the most important policy documents of this century”.

Most G20 economies were missing in action with the United States, Britain and Brazil — which is hosting this year’s U.N. climate summit — the only exceptions.

The U.S. pledge is largely symbolic, made before President Donald Trump ordered Washington out of the faltering Paris Climate Agreement to put U.S. energy and job growth first, as Breitbart News reported.

On his first day back in the White House, Trump announced America would leave the accord, which is managed by the U.N. climate change body.

“In recent years, the United States has purported to join international agreements and initiatives that do not reflect our country’s values or our contributions to the pursuit of economic and environmental objectives,” Trump’s executive order read.

“Moreover, these agreements steer American taxpayer dollars to countries that do not require, or merit, financial assistance in the interests of the American people.”

The AFP report notes Ebony Holland from the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development said the U.S. retreat was “clearly a setback” but there were many reasons for the tepid turnout.

“It’s clear there are some broad geopolitical shifts underway that are proving to be a challenge when it comes to international cooperation, especially on big issues like climate change,” she said.

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