Six Months Before the Paris Climate Talks, Nations Have a Lot of Work to Do

Many of the world’s leading economies have submitted to the United Nations their plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The plans are part of an international effort to keep temperature rise within 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-Industrial Age levels. But the pledges are so far inadequate for accomplishing that goal, according to an analysis by the non-profit Climate Analytics, and will only delay reaching a 2°C rise by two years. Rather than occurring in 2036, the group says, temperature increase will surpass 2°C in 2038.