Public Health

This 2023 edition of the United Nations flagship report World Economic Situation and Prospects comes at a pivotal moment for the global economy. The growth of the world’s population to 8 billion people is a testament to improved nutrition public health and sanitation. But as our human family grows larger it is more unequal and divided than ever.

Every year the negative impacts of climate change become more intense. Every year they bring more misery and pain to hundreds of millions of people across the globe. Every year they become more a problem of the here and now as well as a warning of tougher consequences to come. We are in a climate emergency.

This chapter provides an updated assessment of progress on nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and long-term pledges

In light of the magnitude of the emissions gap wide-ranging large-scale rapid and systemic transformation is now necessary to achieve the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. To inform action the emissions gap can be translated into sectoral transformations that bend the emissions trajectory by 2030 and lead to zero emissions in the longer term. The challenge is that multiple major transformations must be initiated in this decade simultaneously across all systems. Transformations of the way we power our homes and businesses; transport people goods and services; grow and consume food; build our cities; and manage our lands are among the required shifts which need to take place while simultaneously improving the livelihoods of the poorest including women and minorities and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Shifts are needed from phasing out fossil fuels to electrifying transport to stopping deforestation to retrofitting buildings (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] 2021).

Every year the negative impacts of climate change become more intense. Every year they bring more misery and pain to hundreds of millions of people across the globe. Every year they become more a problem of the here and now as well as a warning of tougher consequences to come. We are in a climate emergency. And still as UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report 2022 shows nations procrastinate. Since COP26 in Glasgow in 2021 new and updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs) have barely impacted the temperatures we can expect to see at the end of this century. This year’s report tells us that unconditional NDCs point to a 2.6°C increase in temperatures by 2100 far beyond the goals of the Paris Agreement. Existing policies point to a 2.8°C increase highlighting a gap between national commitments and the efforts to enact those commitments. In the best case scenario full implementation of conditional NDCs plus additional net zero commitments point to a 1.8°C rise. However this scenario is currently not credible. To get on track to limiting global warming to 1.5°C we would need to cut 45 per cent off current greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. For 2°C we would need to cut 30 per cent. A stepwise approach is no longer an option. We need system-wide transformation. This report tells us how to go about such a transformation. It looks in-depth at the changes needed in electricity supply industry transport buildings and food systems. It looks at how to reform financial systems so that these urgent transformations can be adequately financed.

This glossary is compiled according to the lead authors of the report drawing on glossaries and other resources available on the websites of the following organizations networks and projects: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change United Nations Environment Programme United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and World Resources Institute.