Polluter pledges boost climate hope, U. N. says

BERLIN — The U. N.’ s climate chief says deadlines set by some of the world’s top polluters to end greenhouse gas emissions, along with presidentelect Joe Biden’s pledge to take the United States back into the Paris accord, have boosted hopes of meeting the pact’s ambitious goals.

The agreement signed in the French capital five years ago aims to keep global warming well below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) — ideally no more than 2.7 Fahrenheit — compared to preindustrial times by the end of the century. Experts say the world is far off track and that, with average temperatures already up by about 2 Fahrenheit, drastic action is needed in the next 30 years.

But the recent announcement by China, the world’s top polluter, that it will phase out emissions by 2060, and pledges by Japan and South Korea to do the same a decade earlier, have drawn cautious optimism from climate campaigners. Their hopes were further boosted by Biden’s election win earlier this month and his pledge to undo President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement.

The European Union wants to invest hundreds of billions in a ‘ green recovery’ and is discussing whether to ramp up its mediumterm emissions target for 2030.

“These announcements are really extraordinary,” said Patricia Espinosa, head of the United Nations climate office. “Just a few months ago, I don’t think anybody would have really predicted that we would see these kinds of announcements at this time. And especially in the middle of the pandemic.”

Espinosa said countries’ willingness to commit to tougher emissions limits shows that curbing global warming remains a political priority — and that the target set in Paris is a possibility.