Emissions Gap Report 2021- Executive Summary

Each year, the Emissions Gap Report assesses the difference between projected greenhouse gas emissions under countries’ mitigation pledges and the least-cost pathways aligned with holding warming well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C. This shortfall is known as the emissions gap. The 2021 assessment includes new or updated NDCs and announced 2030 pledges with a 30 September 2021 cut-off. The report comprises seven chapters: introduction; Chapter 2 on emission trends, COVID-19 impacts, and global and G20 NDCs; Chapter 3 on net-zero pledges; Chapter 4 updating the 2030 gap and its implications for achieving the Paris temperature goal; Chapter 5 on whether COVID-19 fiscal rescue and recovery measures support low- or high-carbon development, including disparities between high-income and developing countries; Chapter 6 on methane’s role and cost-effective abatement options; and Chapter 7 on market mechanisms, and the conditions for integrity and transparency. Full report is available at: https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/36990