scholarly journals The Paris Agreement and Net-Zero Emissions: What Role for the Land-Sector?

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
F. de Andrade Correa ◽  
C. Voigt
Keyword(s):  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Net Zero

scholarly journals The relationship between net GHG emissions and radiative forcing with an application to Article 4.1 of the Paris Agreement.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom M. L. Wigley
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Zero Point ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Global Warming Potentials ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This paper provides an assessment of Article 4.1 of the Paris Agreement on climate; the main goal of which is to provide guidance on how “to achieve the long-term temperature goal set out in Article 2”. Paraphrasing, Article 4.1 says that, to achieve this end, we should decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions so that net anthropogenic GHG emissions fall to zero in the second half of this century. To aggregate net GHG emissions, 100-year Global Warming Potentials (GWP-100) are commonly used to convert non-CO2 emissions to equivalent CO2 emissions. As a test case using methane, temperature projections using GWP-100 scaling are shown to be seriously in error. This throws doubt on the use of GWP-100 scaling to estimate net GHG emissions. An alternative method to determine the net-zero point for GHG emissions based on radiative forcing is derived. This shows that the net-zero point needs to be reached as early as 2036, much sooner than in the Article 4.1 window. Other scientific flaws in Article 4.1 that further undermine its purpose to guide efforts to achieve the Article 2 temperature targets are discussed.

Banking Beyond Climate Commitments: Transforming Client Engagement and Products & Services for a Net-Zero Emissions Future

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Waslander ◽  
Julie Bos ◽  
Yili Wu
Keyword(s):  
Private Sector ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation ◽  
Client Engagement ◽  
Net Zero

This paper focuses on answering the following question: how can a private sector bank—one that has already committed to shifting its business model towards net-zero emissions—change its client engagement strategy and update its offerings? This paper analyzes action already taken by banks and identifies additional steps private sector banks should take to align their business model with the Paris Agreement (greenhouse gas mitigation objective) and cater to their clients’ needs in a manner that fosters a net-zero transition.

Towards high-quality net-zero targets

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joeri Rogelj ◽  
Andy Reisinger ◽  
Annette Cowie ◽  
Oliver Geden
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Emissions Reduction ◽  
Special Report ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Goal

<p>With the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015 the world has decided that warming should be kept well below 2°C while pursuing a limit of 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. The Paris Agreement also sets a net emissions reduction goal: in the second half of the century, the balance of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and removals should become net zero. Since 2018, in response to the publication of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, a flurry of net zero target announcements has ensued. Many countries, cities, regions, companies, or other organisations have come forward with targets to reach net zero, or become carbon or climate neutral. These labels describe a wide variety of targets, and rarely detailed. Lack of transparency renders it impossible to understand their ultimate contribution towards the global goal. Here we present a set of key criteria that high-quality net zero targets should address. These nine criteria cover emissions, removals, timing, fairness and a long-term vision. Unless net zero targets provide clarity on these nine criteria, we may not know until it is too late whether the collective promise of net zero targets is adequate to meet the global goal of the Paris Agreement.</p>

Circular Economy and Climate Change in Developing Economies

2021 ◽  
pp. 225-238
Author(s):  
James Osabuohien Odia
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Climate Change Risks ◽  
Product Lifetime ◽  
Development Goals

The CE represents a new model for resilient growth in both developed and developing economies that would help to tackle the causes and devastating effects of climate change and climate change risks, meet the 1.5 degree target of the Paris Agreement, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The CE practices can help to reduce greenhouse gases (CO2, methane, and nitro-oxide) to net zero emissions by 2050 through efficient resources use, elongation of product lifetime, recycling, recovery, reuse, materials substitution, efficient waste reduction and management, sharing service, among others. Given the numerous economic opportunities, innovation, and policy progresses, developing countries should transit to the CE pathway by aligning the CE strategies with the mitigation of climate change and the achievement of SDGs, synergize the CE practices with the existing national policies, and mainstream across sectoral strategy and policy development.

scholarly journals Achieving Carbon Neutrality for A Future Large Greenhouse Gas Emitter in Quebec, Canada: A Case Study

Atmosphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 810
Author(s):  
Patrick Faubert ◽  
Sylvie Bouchard ◽  
Rémi Morin Chassé ◽  
Hélène Côté ◽  
Pierre-Luc Dessureault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Liquefied Natural Gas ◽  
Potential Solution ◽  
Carbon Neutrality ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Zero Carbon

To reach the Paris Agreement targets of holding the global temperature increase below 2 °C above the preindustrial levels, every human activity will need to be carbon neutral by 2050. Feasible means for industries to achieve carbon neutrality must be developed and assessed economically. Herein we present a case study on available solutions to achieve net-zero carbon from the get-go for a planned liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant in Quebec, which would classify as a large Canadian greenhouse gas (GHG) emitter. From a literature review, available options were prioritized with the promoter. Each prioritized potential solution is discussed in light of its feasibility and the associated economic opportunities and challenges. Although net-zero carbon is feasible from the get-go, results show that the promoter should identify opportunities to reduce as much as possible emissions at source, cooperate with other industries for CO2 capture and utilization, replace natural gas from fossil sources by renewable sources and offset the remaining emissions by planting trees and/or buying offsets on the compliance and voluntary markets. As some of these solutions are still to be developed, to ensure timely net-zero pledge for the lifespan of the LNG plant, a portfolio and progressive approach to combine offsets and other options is preferable.

scholarly journals Erratum: Achieving net-zero emissions through the reframing of UK national targets in the post-Paris Agreement era

Nature Energy ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Pye ◽  
Francis G. N. Li ◽  
James Price ◽  
Birgit Fais
Keyword(s):  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Net Zero

Prospects for climate change in 2021

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Climate Policies ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Better Than

Significance US re-entry into the Paris Agreement will signal renewed climate engagement by Washington. Prospects for climate cooperation are better than they seemed a year ago, with net-zero targets being more widely adopted, alongside long-term ambition statements. Credibility will depend on substantial changes in near-term climate policies and the pursuit of ‘green recoveries’.

scholarly journals Co-producing climate policy and negative emissions: trade-offs for sustainable land-use

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Dooley ◽  
Peter Christoff ◽  
Kimberly A. Nicholas
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Science And Policy ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Negative Emissions ◽  
Natural Land

Non-technical summaryUnder the Paris Agreement, nations have committed to preventing dangerous global warming. Scenarios for achieving net-zero emissions in the second half of this century depend on land (forests and bioenergy) to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Modelled levels of land-based mitigation could reduce the availability of productive agricultural land, and encroach on natural land, with potentially significant social and environmental consequences. However, these issues are poorly recognized in the policy-uptake of modelled outputs. Understanding how science and policy interact to produce expectations about mitigation pathways allows us to consider the trade-offs inherent in relying on land for mitigation.

scholarly journals Net-zero emission targets for major emitting countries consistent with the Paris Agreement

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heleen L. van Soest ◽  
Michel G. J. den Elzen ◽  
Detlef P. van Vuuren
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Global Level ◽  
Global Average ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Phase Out

AbstractOver 100 countries have set or are considering net-zero emissions or neutrality targets. However, most of the information on emissions neutrality (such as timing) is provided for the global level. Here, we look at national-level neutrality-years based on globally cost-effective 1.5 °C and 2 °C scenarios from integrated assessment models. These results indicate that domestic net zero greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions in Brazil and the USA are reached a decade earlier than the global average, and in India and Indonesia later than global average. These results depend on choices like the accounting of land-use emissions. The results also show that carbon storage and afforestation capacity, income, share of non-CO2 emissions, and transport sector emissions affect the variance in projected phase-out years across countries. We further compare these results to an alternative approach, using equity-based rules to establish target years. These results can inform policymakers on net-zero targets.

scholarly journals The relationship between net GHG emissions and radiative forcing with an application to Article 4.1 of the Paris Agreement

2021 ◽  
Vol 169 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom M. L. Wigley
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Radiative Forcing ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Zero Point ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Scaling Method ◽  
Net Zero ◽  
Global Warming Potentials ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThis paper provides an assessment of Article 4.1 of the Paris Agreement on climate; the main goal of which is to provide guidance on how “to achieve the long-term temperature goal set out in Article 2”. Paraphrasing, Article 4.1 says that, to achieve this end, we should decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions so that net anthropogenic GHG emissions fall to zero in the second half of this century. To aggregate net GHG emissions, 100-year global warming potentials (GWP-100) are commonly used to convert non-CO2 emissions to equivalent CO2 emissions. The GWP-scaling method is tested using methane as an example. The temperature projections using GWP-100 scaling are shown to be seriously in error. This throws doubt on the use of GWP-100 scaling to estimate net GHG emissions. An alternative method to determine the net-zero point for GHG emissions based on radiative forcing is derived, where the net-zero point is identified with the maximum of GHG forcing. This shows that, to meet the Article 2 warming goal, the net-zero point for GHG emissions needs to be reached as early as 2036, much sooner than in the Article 4.1 window. Other scientific problems in Article 4.1 that further undermine its purpose to guide efforts to achieve the Article 2 temperature targets are discussed.

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