--- title: U.N. Report: World Has Ten Months To Take Action on Climate description: The UN climate change body, in a new report, says that current emissions targets are not enough to avoid severe climate impacts canonical: https://time.com/5942546/un-emissions-targets-climate-change/ author: Aryn Baker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-02-26T13:05:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T09:43:45.284Z article:section: Science og:title: U.N. Report: World Has Ten Months To Take Action on Climate og:description: The UN climate change body, in a new report, says that current emissions targets are not enough to avoid severe climate impacts og:url: https://time.com/5942546/un-emissions-targets-climate-change/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a601e4c59afc1f5/698a178ce76ad295f9638a8d/climate-change-impact-emissions.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Climate Change In Bangladesh og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.N. Report: World Has Ten Months To Take Action on Climate twitter:description: The UN climate change body, in a new report, says that current emissions targets are not enough to avoid severe climate impacts twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8a601e4c59afc1f5/698a178ce76ad295f9638a8d/climate-change-impact-emissions.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'If This Task Was Urgent Before, It’s Crucial Now.' U.N. Says World Has 10 Months to Get Serious on Climate Goals > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Aryn Baker](https://time.com/author/aryn-baker/) ## Aryn Baker Feb 26, 2021 1:05 PM UTC  Salinity effect seen in soil as a result trees has died after Cyclone amphan hit in Satkhira on February 23, 2021. Salinity effect seen in soil as a result trees has died after Cyclone amphan hit in Satkhira on February 23, 2021. Kazi Salahuddin Razu—NurPhoto via Getty Images by [Aryn Baker](https://time.com/author/aryn-baker/) ## Aryn Baker Feb 26, 2021 1:05 PM UTC The language of diplomacy rarely allows for a true sense of emotion or urgency. But reading between the lines of the [latest report](https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/nationally-determined-contributions-ndcs/nationally-determined-contributions-ndcs/ndc-synthesis-report) commissioned by the [United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change](https://unfccc.int/) (UNFCCC)—the body representing the 197 member nations of the [Paris Agreement](https://time.com/4801344/paris-agreement-climate-deal-donald-trump/) to minimize a global average temperature rise this century—the message is clear. The world has precisely ten months to get our act together if there is to be any hope of staving off a climate catastrophe by the end of the century. If member nations are to achieve the Paris Agreement target of limiting global temperature rise above preindustrial levels by 2°C—ideally 1.5°C—by 2100, they must redouble efforts and submit stronger, more ambitious goals to reduce carbon emissions, according to the report. The document tabulates the [national climate action plans](https://time.com/5919239/un-emissions-gap-climate-change/) \[NDCs\], of each member nation. The NDCs, which were due at the end of 2020, are essentially blueprints laying out emission reduction targets for each country along with plans detailing how they will meet those stated goals. _Read more:_ [_At Its Five-Year Anniversary, the Paris Deal Remains the Most Influential Global Framework for Addressing Climate Change_](https://time.com/5920387/paris-agreement-laurence-tubiana/) So far, the plans all coming up short. The report shows that while the majority of the 75 nations that have submitted NDCs increased their individual commitments, their combined impact puts them on a path to achieve only a 1% reduction in global emissions by 2030, compared to the 45% reduction needed to hit the 1.5°C temperature goal. “This report shows that current levels of climate ambition are very far from putting us on a pathway that will meet our Paris Agreement goals,” said Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of [UN Climate Change](https://www.un.org/en/climatechange). “While we acknowledge the recent political shift in momentum towards stronger climate action throughout the world, decisions to accelerate and broaden climate action everywhere must be taken now.” Another report will be released prior to COP 26, the global meeting on Climate Change, currently scheduled for November in the U.K., giving stragglers time to catch up, says Espinosa. “It’s time for all remaining parties to step up, fulfill what they promised to do under the Paris Agreement and submit their NDCs as soon as possible. If this task was urgent before, it’s crucial now.” _Read more:_ [_2020 Was a Year of Climate Extremes. What Can We Expect in 2021?_](https://time.com/5922963/climate-change-2021/) The former President of Ireland, [Mary Robinson](https://theelders.cmail20.com/t/y-l-obdkc-tulytdlklh-t/), who also served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and is now Chair of The Elders, was scathing in her assessment of the commitments made by some of the world’s biggest polluters and did not hesitate to single out countries by name. “Major economies need to ramp up their ambition – starting with the U.S., where expectations are high for an emissions and finance pledge to make up for lost time. Others like Japan, Canada, Korea, New Zealand and China, have committed to net zero goals by mid-century, but we are still missing their promised new near-term plans to get there,” she said in a [statement](https://theelders.cmail20.com/t/y-l-obdkc-tulytdlklh-j/) released ahead of the report. Robinson was particularly withering when it came to Australia’s commitments, noting that it was not enough for the country to “repackage a plan that was already inadequate five years ago. The good news is there is still time for radical improvement if Australia wants to keep pace with their major allies and trading partners.” The clock is ticking for Australia, as well as everyone else. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5942546/un-emissions-targets-climate-change/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5942546/un-emissions-targets-climate-change/"},"headline":"'If This Task Was Urgent Before, It’s Crucial Now.' U.N. 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