Protester holding a banner with the message "Future is greater than or more important than fossil fuels", at a climate demonstration in Vienna. Photo: Flickr.com / Ivan Radic CC BY

Editorial: GHG emissions must be halved by 2030

In August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the UN body for climate science – adopted the first report of the IPCC 6th Assessment Cycle. Reports two and three will be issued in 2022 (1). The three reports have an executive summary which is agreed word for word by 195 governments. According to reporting from Earth Negotiations Bulletin (2) during the fourth and final approval session of report one, governments were still commenting on many sentences scientists had proposed. There were just a handful of countries that repeatedly questioned the scientists' conclusions, but as a result the final text of the summary of report one should be seen as the lowest level of agreement between 195 member countries of the IPCC. Despite this, the report issued a very strong warning about climate change already present and becoming increasingly sever as we head towards 2030, 2050, 2100 and 2300. The report also emphasises the great co-benefits of reducing GHGs for human health and the environment by reducing other air pollutants from burning fossil fuels at the same time. It confirms and reinforces many of the conclusions of the IPCC since its first assessment reports in 1990, but also builds heavily on the three IPCC special reports issued in 2018 and 2019. Climate Analytics has summarised the main conclusions of these IPCC reports on behalf of AirClim and CAN in four new science policy briefings (3). A good overview of the climate science issues discussed by the IPCC can also be found on the RealClimate web portal (4).

It is very important that the forthcoming second part of the sixth assessment report very clearly identifies the potential tipping points of regional and global ecosystems that could be destroyed by global heating. The fantastic ecosystems of the Andean cloud forests described in this issue of Acid News is an alarming example.

Since the Paris Agreement it has become increasingly clear that scientists and governments regard the 1.5 target as vitally important if humankind is to achieve to avoid dangerous climate change. The IPCC has made it very clear that GHG emissions must be halved by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. The remaining carbon budget is again presented in the new IPCC report. Climate Analytics and Constrain have published a very good analysis of the carbon budget discussions (5), while Climate Action Tracker reports on the level of GHG reductions that have been achieved so far and the outstanding emission gap (6).

At the UN COP 26 climate conference in November 2021 the main task of governments is to decide on the pathway the world must take towards reducing emissions from now on. Every five years between 2020 and 2050 there should be clear evaluations by the IPCC concerning the newest science. The UNFCCC should analyse the remaining emission data every year and strictly ensure that the world is really on track to reach the 1.5 target. The wealthy industrialised countries must make stronger GHG reduction commitments much earlier than 2050 and increase their financial aid to countries in the global south to at least USD 200 billion annually. Governments at COP 26 should also refuse to agree new rules for the Paris Agreement that create large loopholes in reporting real reductions of emissions. CAN International has summarised the main concrete demands in an annual policy document (7). On 14 October 2021, CAN Europe and AirClim will publish a study by Climate Analytics showing how GHG reductions of at least 65% can be achieved in the EU by 2030 and net-zero by 2040 (8). These reduction targets should be agreed by the EU as its contribution to halving global GHG emissions by 2030!

Reinhold Pape

(1) https://www.ipcc.ch/assessment-report/ar6/

(2) https://enb.iisd.org/climate/IPCC/IPCC-54-WGI-14/summary

(3) https://climatenetwork.org/resource/1-5c-to-survive-evidence-from-the-ip...

https://climatenetwork.org/resource/overview-briefing-on-the-ipcc-specia...

(4) https://www.realclimate.org/

(5) https://climateanalytics.org/media/carbon_budgets_1o5c_updated18092018.pdf

https://constrain-eu.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CONSTRAIN-Zero-In-On...

https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/RD13%20Poster%20Day%201%...

(6) https://climateactiontracker.org/

(7) https://climatenetwork.org/resource_type/publications/

(8) https://caneurope.org/news-publications/

In this issue

Call to protect the cloud forests

Where the Andes meet the Amazon, you will find one of the earth’s richest and most important biomes. Its role has been overlooked in our efforts to mitigate climate change.

Editorial: GHG emissions must be halved by 2030

In August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the UN body for climate science – adopted the first report of the IPCC 6th Assessment Cycle.

Symbolic CO2 threshold crossed

Concentrations of CO₂ are now 50% higher than at the start of the industrial revolution.

Energy targets need to be bolder

The European Commission’s proposal “Fit for 55” includes new targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency. They have to go further to be in line with the 1.5°C goal.

Emission limits still breached

While most EU member states met their binding national emission limits in 2019, significant further action is needed to achieve the reduction commitments set for the period 2020–29 and for 2030 onwards.

Material recovery opportunities from the clean energy sector

The exponential increase in renewable energy sources is vital, and it is important to enable the vast circularity potential of these technologies.

Toxic threat from wood burning

The burning of wood and coal for domestic heating is a major source of air pollutant emissions, contributing to more than half of primary PM_2.5 emissions in the EU. A new study compares the emissions from various types of heating options.

Norway’s future without oil

A rapid shut down of Norwegian gas and oil extraction is necessary to be in line with the Paris agreement. The loss of GDP may only be 1% in 2050 compared to business as usual.

Norway’s oil and gas market grows – NGOs call for phase-out

The major factor driving the market is the increasing development of new oilfields in the country over the forecast period 2021–2025.

Paying farmers for carbon

Although costs for monitoring, reporting and verification are high for many result-based schemes, the European Commission favours a wider implementation.

The rise of floating solar photovoltaic farms

Solar power is now the cheapest source of electricity in history. To continue its expansion many have looked to the benefits of floating solar farms.

New EU farm policy supports business as usual

In the coming years the European Union will continue to fund intensive farming practices with only marginal tightening of environmental requirements.

Towards climate-friendly food production

We need to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and nitrogen from what we eat. Nordic farmers and food producers show how it can be done in practice.

12 mega oil and gas projects to wreck 1.5°C chances

Five Years Lost: how finance is blowing the Paris carbon budget.

No future for nuclear power

Nuclear power has tried to reinvent itself for two decades with the so-called Fourth Generation and Small Modular reactors. Both have failed.

Main menu

Editorial: GHG emissions must be halved by 2030

In this issue

Call to protect the cloud forests

Editorial: GHG emissions must be halved by 2030

Symbolic CO2 threshold crossed

Energy targets need to be bolder

Emission limits still breached

Material recovery opportunities from the clean energy sector

Toxic threat from wood burning

Norway’s future without oil

Norway’s oil and gas market grows – NGOs call for phase-out

Paying farmers for carbon

The rise of floating solar photovoltaic farms

New EU farm policy supports business as usual

Towards climate-friendly food production

12 mega oil and gas projects to wreck 1.5°C chances

No future for nuclear power

In Breif

EU Zero Pollution Action Plan

New European city air quality viewer

1.5°C to survive – Evidence from the IPCC Special Reports

Climate toolkit for Russian municipalties

Publications

Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

What we do

Air pollution

Climate Change

Policy initiatives

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