Today in one sentence: Earth’s on track to warm above 2 degrees Celsius and global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are "nowhere near the scale" needed; the World Meteorological Organization warned that atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide levels are accelerating; a South Carolina judge ordered Mark Meadows to testify before the Georgia grand jury investigating Trump and his allies efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state; Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said the leak of his draft opinion eliminating the constitutional right to abortion after almost 50 years made some justices “targets for assassination”; and 65% of registered Republican voters don't believe Biden was elected legitimately.

1/ Earth’s on track to warm above 2 degrees Celsius and global reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are “nowhere near the scale” needed, according to a new report from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Under the current, combined climate pledges from the 193 Parties under the Paris Agreement, global temperatures are on track to rise to 2.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial averages by the end of the century – a full degree higher than the goal set out in the climate pact, which aimed to limit warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius. The U.N. said that while countries are “bending the curve of global greenhouse gas emissions downward,” the efforts “remain insufficient” and “to keep this goal alive, national governments need to strengthen their climate action plans now and implement them in the next eight years.” (NBC News / New York Times / Bloomberg / CNBC)

2/ The World Meteorological Organization warned that atmospheric carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide levels are accelerating and that 2020 and 2021 were the largest increases since record keeping began in 1983. “More bad news for the planet,” the WMO said in a statement. (Washington Post / NPR)

3/ A South Carolina judge ordered Mark Meadows to testify before the Georgia grand jury investigating Trump and his allies efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said her inquiry is examining “the multistate, coordinated efforts to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere.” Willis had to petition a judge in South Carolina to compel Meadows to comply with the subpoena because he doesn’t live in Georgia. Willis noted that Meadows traveled to Georgia where an audit of the state’s election was underway and participated in the telephone call Trump made on Jan. 2, 2021 to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him to “find” 11,780 votes that would enable Trump to defeat Biden in the state. South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Edward Miller ruled that Meadows must comply with a subpoena as his testimony is “material and necessary to the investigation and that the state of Georgia is assuring not to cause undue hardship to him.” Meadows plans to appeal the ruling. (Washington Post / CNN / New York Times / Associated Press)

4/ Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said the leak of his draft opinion eliminating the constitutional right to abortion after almost 50 years made some justices “targets for assassination,” complaining that the leak was a “grave betrayal of trust.” In his majority opinion to end Roe v. Wade, Alito wrote that the 1973 ruling was “egregiously wrong” and that there is no constitutional right to seek an abortion for any reason. When asked about criticism that the Supreme Court has strayed too far from public sentiment and become partisan when it overturns precedent, Alito pushed back, saying: “To say that the court is exhibiting a lack of integrity is something quite different. That goes to character, not to a disagreement with the result or the reasoning.” Alito also took issue with those who have questioned the legitimacy of the court, saying it “crosses an important line when they say that the court is acting in a way that is illegitimate. I don’t think anybody in a position of authority should make that claim lightly. That’s not just ordinary criticism. That’s something very different.” Alito’s remarks came during an event at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. (Washington Post / CBS News / CNBC)

poll/ 65% of registered Republican voters don’t believe Biden was elected legitimately. 22% believe in the legitimacy of Biden’s election. Overall, 60% of registered voters believe Biden’s election was legitimate and 33% do not. (NBC News)

Four years ago today: Day 645: This "Bomb" stuff.
Five years ago today: Day 280: Bullet.