Copenhagen, 11 December 2009 People across the globe can track the proposals and plans of countries to combat climate change via an online 'climate pledge tracker', launched today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The 'tracker', which is being updated as new proposals are made during the UN climate convention meeting in Copenhagen, compares and consolidates all the national pledges made so far with the scientific goal of getting the world at or under a 2 degree Celsius rise compared to pre-industrial levels.
Experts estimate that what is needed is to bring emissions of greenhouse gases down to 44 billion tonnes (44Gt) of CO2 equivalent by 2020 in order to give the world a 50 percent chance of meeting that temperature target.
After 2020, emissions need to be cut to 16 billion tonnes (16 Gt) of CO2 equivalent in 2050. Meeting a 1.5 degree Celsius goal, which some countries are calling for, will require even more ambitious emissions reductions over the next 40 years.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "The eyes of the world are on the UN climate convention conference in Copenhagen. With this tracker, everyone within the conference and beyond can from their office or living room monitor the ambition of governments to Seal a convincing Deal by 18 December."
The tracker currently has pledges and proposals from 25 countries plus the European Union's 27 member states. Eleven of the 25 countries are from developing economies ranging from China and India to Costa Rica and the Maldives. It includes recent proposals from countries such as South Africa, India and Kazakhstan.
The tracker currently estimates that if the most ambitious existing pledges were fully implemented, including with financial support for developing economies, the world might achieve emissions reductions of 47.5 billion tonnes by 2020.
This indicates a gap of around 3.5 billion tonnes which needs to be bridged by the 18 December when the climate convention conference is scheduled to end.
The figure, which has a margin of error of plus or minus two billion tonnes, is within the range of a study, released by Lord Stern and UNEP on 6 December, indicating that the gap is between 1 billion tonnes and five billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
It also supports a statement released today by the European Climate Foundation/ Climate Works/Project Catalyst and others including UNEP; the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and Ecofys, saying that the analysis by leading independent institutions point in the same direction an agreement that puts the world on track to limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius or lower is possible in Copenhagen.
The tracker, which will continue after Copenhagen, also looks at the emissions reduction pledges up to 2050 where scientists estimate that global greenhouse gas emissions need to be down to 16 billion tonnes (16 Gt) of C02 equivalent.
View the tracker http://www.unep.org/climatepledges/