The U.N. climate chief said Friday that governments' emissions-cutting pledges ahead of a global conference in December are a good step toward achieving an international climate change goal, but they are not enough. According to a U.N. assessment, the plans submitted by 146 countries for the climate conference in Paris could cut average global emissions per capita of greenhouse gases by up to 8 percent by 2025 and 9 percent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. U.N. climate chief Christiana Figueres' office did not directly assess the pledges' impact on the goal of keeping the rise in global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius by the end of this century compared with pre-industrial levels. However, Figueres pointed to an International Energy Agency assessment that they would result in a 2.7-degree increase, compared with 4 to 5 degrees with no action. "It is a very good step – it is actually a remarkable step – but it is not enough," Figueres told reporters. "Many countries have been healthily conservative in what they have put on the table, and that's very understandable because they do not want to expose themselves prematurely internationally. We may get more from some corners and less from others." The Paris conference will be a crucial test for the diplomatic process, which failed to deliver a strong deal six years ago in Copenhagen. Figueres said that she is confident that there will not be a repeat of that. "There will be an agreement because, from where I stand, I see only increasing political will on the part of all governments," Figueres said.
