World leaders look toward drastic cuts in emissions with UN climate conference underway

To avoid catastrophic climate change, the roughly 100 heads of state attending the UN climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, must agree to cuts that collectively equal a net global emissions reduction of greenhouse gases of 45% by 2030, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

To avoid this, the roughly 100 heads of state attending must agree to cuts that collectively equal a net global emissions reduction of greenhouse gases of 45% by 2030, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 

To achieve that figure, the U.N. Environmental Program says countries must cut greenhouse gas emissions by 7.6% annually over the next eight years. Every fraction of a degree of warming, a U.N. panel says, will produce more wildfires, floods and famine.