A new report shows that the remainder of the needed reductions in carbon can be found if actions are taken at a local level, deforestation is halted, and other greenhouse gases are tackled.
The New Climate Economy, a group of experts and academics, said that if its recommendations were followed, between nearly two-thirds and 96 percent of the extra carbon cuts needed to avoid dangerous global warming could be found.
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More than 40 countries, including the U.S., China and the EU, have submitted pledges to the U.N. for limits on their greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2020, when current commitments run out. These will form the major plank of any agreement in Paris, where governments are meeting to forge a new global deal on emissions curbs beyond 2020.
However, some large economies – including India and Brazil – have yet to submit their pledges. On current forecasts, the pledges that have been so far received and those likely to come forward will not be enough to prevent the world warming by more than 2° C, a threshold beyond which scientists warn that global warming is likely to become catastrophic and irreversible.
Chief among the measures the New Climate Economy group advocates is action taken by cities, to reduce carbon output by improving public transport, making public buildings and private housing more energy efficient, and dealing with waste better. These measures are frequently not taken account of in emissions targets set by national governments, showing that more can be done to arrest the growth in carbon dioxide output.
These measures, if taken by cities, could also save money, up to $17 trillion globally by 2050, the group found.
Cities are already gearing up to take action, with more than 75 of the world’s biggest cities forming the C40 group, under former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, and pledging to reduce emissions substantially in the next three decades.
Read more at Local Actions Could Make Up Shortfall in Emissions Cuts
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