The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
The inaugural Asean Cooling Summit convened for the first time a diverse group of leaders from business, government, civic society and academia to discuss solutions for sustainable cooling in Southeast Asia. Growing demand for air conditioning in the world’s emerging economies—such as those in the Southeast Asia region—could spur a …
The effectiveness of national energy policy will be decisive for achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Emissions from the production and consumption of energy need to reduce significantly, but government commitments in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) fall short of the action …
Based on high-resolution models, we investigate the change in climate extremes and impact-relevant indicators over Europe under different levels of global warming. We specifically assess the robustness of the changes and the benefits of limiting warming to 1.5°C instead of 2°C. Compared to 1.5°C world, a further 0.5°C warming results …
All car and van manufacturers met their carbon dioxide (CO2) specific emission targets in 2016, based on current European vehicle test rules, but they will need to continue their efforts to meet future agreed-to cuts. These are the findings of the latest report tracking progress on CO2 emission targets for …
Estimates of the EU's greenhouse gas emission budgets for the rest of the century vary considerably but have one thing in common: The EU's emission budget is very small and shrinking rapidly. If the EU's emission budgets were based only on least-costs considerations, it would range between meager 50 Gt …
On November 8, 2017, the European Commission (EC) published its regulatory proposal for post-2020 carbon dioxide targets for new passenger cars and light-commercial vehicles (vans). The proposed regulation would be the third set of mandatory vehicle CO2 performance standards in the European Union (EU). This briefing summarizes and evaluates the …
Aridity—the ratio of atmospheric water supply (precipitation; P) to demand (potential evapotranspiration; PET)—is projected to decrease (that is, areas will become drier) as a consequence of anthropogenic climate change, exacerbating land degradation and desertification. However, the timing of significant aridification relative to natural variability—defined here as the time of emergence …
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is the world‘s largest greenhouse gas (GHG) offsetting mechanism to date. Although its future after 2020 is uncertain, policy-makers are currently considering the use of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) from emission reductions delivered in the period up to, and including, 2020. In this context, it …
CO2 emissions and total global greenhouse gas emissions are reported for 2016, based on the latest update of the EDGAR v4.3.2 database, using statistics, where available, up to and including 2016. The conclusion of the report is that, in 2016, total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continued to increase, by …
Policymakers around the world recognize the potential for natural land area to combat climate change: a total of 97 countries mentioned specific plans to reduce emissions from deforestation or increase forest cover in their Paris Agreement commitments. As the international community and domestic lawmakers figure out how to meet their …
This report synthesizes a host of developments in the renewables sector during the year 2016-17 covering power generation from various renewable energy technologies, advances in policy and regulatory frameworks, growth in manufacturing capacity and investment flows, and contribution of renewables to emissions reduction. The analysis shows that 2016-17 has been …
This study assesses the environmental integrity risks of international carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and discusses possible international rules to address them. A considerable risk is that several countries have mitigation targets that correspond to higher levels of emissions than business-as-usual (BAU) projections. The amount of …
The Paris Agreement requires countries to articulate near-term emissions reduction strategies through to 2025 or 2030 by communicating nationally determined contributions (NDCs), as well as encouraging the formulation of long-term low-emission development strategies (Article 4.19). In response, many countries have either submitted or are preparing mid-century strategies. Most NDCs set …
This study examines how inversing the trend towards ever heavier light-duty vehicles would impact CO2 emissions from road transport. The average mass of passenger cars in the European Union has increased by around 40% over the past four decades. In 2015, a vehicle weighed on average 1 400 kg, compared …
This technical note offers guidance and identifies options for developing baselines for scaled-up crediting programs under the Paris Agreement. Establishing baselines is partly a technical, methodological challenge, but the biggest uncertainties arise from unresolved questions regarding international rules under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, as well as how crediting …
This report provides an overview of projected greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 25 emitting countries/regions (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Republic of South Africa, …
This paper assesses each of the world’s countries in terms of whether their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have peaked, when they have peaked, and whether they have a commitment that implies an emissions peak in the future. The paper finds that an encouraging trend is emerging: the number of countries …
This report evaluates options for how countries that are parties to the Paris Agreement can cooperate to accelerate the implementation of REDD+. The five presented options, summarized below, are not mutually exclusive and can be combined to deliver a blended flow of finance in support of the implementation of REDD+ …
A report by C40 and the McKinsey Center for Business and Environment, Focused Acceleration: A Strategic Approach to Climate Action in Cities to 2030 details the biggest opportunities for emissions reduction, making it easier for cities to identify actions with the potential to deliver the greatest emissions reductions by 2030. …
Under the UN climate talks, countries will not revisit their pledges until 2020 -- "the last opportunity to close the 2030 emissions gap," said UN Environment in its annual Emissions Gap report Report reveals large gap between government pledges and the reductions needed to prevent dangerous global warming. There is …
