Can Top Polluting Nations Ever Cut Their Emissions?: QuickTake

Efforts to cut greenhouse-gas emissions are falling short of what scientists say must be done to avoid catastrophic climate change. Whether countries will commit to more aggressive reductions is a pressing question for the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.

National governments meeting on Sept. 24 are expected to detail their latest plans for hitting emissions targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The backdrop appears bleak. US President Donald Trump is doing everything he can to reverse US climate action. And while many governments are accelerating the shift to renewable wind and solar energy, this often serves ...