The world’s nations must commit to dramatically slashing greenhouse gas emissions in the near future or risk a “catastrophic” rise in global average temperatures, a key United Nations climate report published Thursday warned.

“It is still technically possible to meet the 1.5°C goal” set out in the Paris agreement, “but only with a G20-led massive global mobilization to cut all greenhouse gas emissions, starting today,” the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) said in a summary of its annual Emissions Gap Report.

“Nations must collectively commit to cutting 42% off annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and 57% by 2035 in the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) — and back this up with rapid action — or the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C goal will be gone within a few years,” UNEP warned.

“Failure to increase ambition in these new NDCs and start delivering immediately would put the world on course for a temperature increase of 2.6-3.1°C over this century,” the agency said. “This would bring debilitating impacts to people, planet, and economies.”

New UNEP emissions gap report highlights a “massive gap between rhetoric and reality” and calls for a “quantum leap” in ambition to deliver Paris goals, as the world is way off-track today.

I cover the details over at @CarbonBrief: https://t.co/PKae14c066 pic.twitter.com/aCyYmbKlOx

New UNEP emissions gap report highlights a “massive gap between rhetoric and reality” and calls for a “quantum leap” in ambition to deliver Paris goals, as the world is way off-track today.

I cover the details over at @CarbonBrief: https://t.co/PKae14c066 pic.twitter.com/aCyYmbKlOx

UNEP said “solar, wind, and forests” have the potential to help the world “get on a 1.5°C pathway.” However, “sufficiently strong NDCs would need to be backed urgently by a whole-of-government approach, measures that maximize socioeconomic and environmental co-benefits, enhanced international collaboration that includes reform of the global financial architecture, strong private sector action, and a minimum six-fold increase in mitigation investment.”

“G20 nations,........

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