Delaying Emissions Cuts Has High Costs

Without significant action during the next six years, nations will face steep and expensive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions to restrict human-caused climate change to internationally agreed-on levels, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Governments in 2009 agreed to restrain climate change due to human activities to a 2 °C rise over preindustrial levels by the end of the century (see page 23). Countries could still reach this target even if they postpone emissions control action until after 2020, says a UNEP report released last week. But compensating for such delays would involve significantly higher costs, deep reductions in future emissions, and an increased risk of overshooting the 2 °C target, the report says. Delaying emissions cuts by a few years will foster continuation of current investment patterns, which could lock in carbon-intensive fossil-fuel infrastructure for decades. “This lock-in would slow down the introduction of climate-friendly technologies and narrow the developmental choices that would place the global community on the path to a sustainable, green future,” explains UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.