Most nations fall far short in plans to curb climate change, report finds

Nearly every nation, including Canada, is coming up short — most of them far short — in their efforts to fight climate change, and the world is unlikely to hold warming to the internationally agreed-upon limit, according to a new scientific report.

Only one nation — tiny Gambia in Africa — is on track to cut emissions and undertake its share of actions to keep the world from exceeding the Paris agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 C (2.7 F) of warming since pre-industrial times, the report said.

Only one industrialized nation — the United Kingdom — is even close to doing what it should to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases and finance clean energy for poorer nations, the Climate Action Tracker reported Wednesday.

Canada's actions were deemed to be "highly insufficient," along with Australia and China. 

In May, after U.S. President Joe Biden's climate summit, enough nations had promised big enough carbon pollution cuts that the tracker said the "emissions gap" — the difference between emissions projections with pledges and what's required to meet the 1.5-degree goal — dropped 11 per cent.

"That momentum has not been maintained," said report co-author Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics. "We're running short of countries stepping up with additional emission commitments to close the gap."

Unlike its previous reports, which just looked at promises to cut carbon pollution and policy changes, the new ratings include money issues. Finance is critical to climate negotiations this fall in Scotland, so the report examined commitments by rich nations to help pay for clean energy for poor nations, said Hare, a climate scientist.