Looming global warming harbours great risks for man and the environment
Source: Julien Jandric / Fotolia.com
Global warming is to be contained to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius. This was the goal agreed by the 194 Member States of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2010. However, the global climate protection measures agreed to date will not achieve this goal.
This is the central message of the latest “Emissions Gap Report” by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report has shown every year since 2010 the levels to which greenhouse gases must be reduced by 2020 in order to comply with the 2-degree limit. Even if global climate protection measures which have been agreed by the States are implemented, emissions in 2020 will still be in excess of the limit by about eight to twelve gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents.
The cap on emissions is 44 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents in 2020. Emissions must nevertheless continue to be drastically reduced in the years thereafter. There are potentials for this, for example in low-greenhouse gas energy availability, climate protection measures in industry, the building sector, transport, in waste management, as well as through climate-friendly land use.
The negotiation process under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) must help to close this emissions gap and to come up with a viable starting point for the new Convention on Climate Change as of 2020. The next strategic step in this direction is the international climate conference to be held in Warsaw on 11 - 22 November 2013.
The UBA’s motto, For our environment (“Für Mensch und Umwelt”), sums up our mission pretty well, we feel. In this video we give an insight into our work.
Due to the large number of enquiries, there may be delays in responding. We ask for your understanding.
