Halving CO₂ emissions every ten years is crucial for limiting global warming. Below we have listed tools that can be used to accelerate the corresponding measures.
While the Paris Agreement (1) aligns with scientific findings (2) and is theoretically feasible (3), there are disparities between science-based targets and national commitments. Industries must prioritize long-term goals over short-term politics to achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century, crucial for limiting global warming to below 2°C. Decarbonization models often struggle to capture transformative changes and dynamics associated with it: disruption, innovation, and nonlinear change in human behavior. To harness these dynamics to calibrate for short-term realpolitik, Johan Rockström and Owen Gaffney from the Stockholm Resilience Center, and a team of international scientists propose a "carbon law," halving CO₂ emissions every decade already starting as early as 2020. This heuristic approach is framing the decarbonization-challenge in terms of a global decadal roadmap- and it is strong because of a common global narrative. But overall, industries as well as civil society are lacking behind and still haven’t managed to reduce emissions overall. Check out these examples and service providers in the Sustainability Hub, who can help you on your path to Net-Zero.
REFERENCES AND NOTES
1. UNFCCC,ParisAgreement(2015).
2. H.J.Schellnhuber,S.Rahmstorf,R.Winkelmann,Nat.Clim. Chang. 6, 649 (2016).
3. J. Rogelj et al., Nat. Clim. Chang.