312
Anthropogenic climate change is not the only stressor on the coast of Bangladesh,
rising population and demand for food, energy, and water is also a significant
stressor. However, extreme events can trigger cascading impacts throughout FEW
systems.
11.5 Climate Mitigation
The effects of anthropogenic climate change are already apparent, and adverse
effects are being experienced in specific locations (IPCC 2014a). Analysis of the
drivers of anthropogenic climate change along with the vulnerability of large parts
of humanity to adverse impacts of anthropogenic climate change has led the global
community to adopt adopted a goal of “keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the
temperature increase even further to 1.5 °C.”
In 2015, as part of the Paris Agreement, nearly every country in the world submitted a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) listing steps that they are willing to take voluntarily to reduce their future contribution to anthropogenic climate
change. NDCs are not legally binding and therefore are an example of “soft” international law. There is a wide range of ambitions contained in NDCs which are not
enforceable or, at the time of writing, reported consistently. Even if all NDCs
adopted at or following the 2015 Paris Agreement were fully implemented, the projected rise in temperature would be significantly higher than 2 °C.
Mitigating anthropogenic climate change requires a wide range of human interventions, including significant alterations to energy and food systems.
Climate change mitigation policies exist everywhere alongside other policies
seeking to achieve other aims such as poverty reduction and prosperity; food,
energy, and water security; health; education; social justice; and many other aspirations. How climate change mitigation policies and other policies manifest themselves and affect outcomes are specific to the context of every location.
IPPC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) makes clear that
deep cuts in emissions will require a diverse portfolio of policies, institutions, and technologies as well as changes in human behaviour and consumption patterns (high evidence; high
agreement). There are many different development trajectories capable of substantially
mitigating emissions; the ability to meet those trajectories will be constrained if particular
technologies are removed from consideration. It is virtually certain that the most appropriate policies will vary by sector and country, suggesting the need for flexibility rather than a
singular set of policy tools. In most countries, the actors that are relevant to controlling
emissions aren’t just national governments. Many diverse actors participate in climate policy from the local to the global levels—including a wide array of nongovernmental organizations representing different environmental, social, business and other interests. (robust
evidence, medium agreement)
Further,
policies to mitigate emissions are extremely complex and arise in the context of many different forms of uncertainty. While there has been much public attention to uncertainties in
P. Saundry
Anthropogenic climate change is not the only stressor on the coast of Bangladesh,
rising population and demand for food, energy, and water is also a significant
stressor. However, extreme events can trigger cascading impacts throughout FEW
systems.
11.5 Climate Mitigation
The effects of anthropogenic climate change are already apparent, and adverse
effects are being experienced in specific locations (IPCC 2014a). Analysis of the
drivers of anthropogenic climate change along with the vulnerability of large parts
of humanity to adverse impacts of anthropogenic climate change has led the global
community to adopt adopted a goal of “keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the
temperature increase even further to 1.5 °C.”
In 2015, as part of the Paris Agreement, nearly every country in the world submitted a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) listing steps that they are willing to take voluntarily to reduce their future contribution to anthropogenic climate
change. NDCs are not legally binding and therefore are an example of “soft” international law. There is a wide range of ambitions contained in NDCs which are not
enforceable or, at the time of writing, reported consistently. Even if all NDCs
adopted at or following the 2015 Paris Agreement were fully implemented, the projected rise in temperature would be significantly higher than 2 °C.
Mitigating anthropogenic climate change requires a wide range of human interventions, including significant alterations to energy and food systems.
Climate change mitigation policies exist everywhere alongside other policies
seeking to achieve other aims such as poverty reduction and prosperity; food,
energy, and water security; health; education; social justice; and many other aspirations. How climate change mitigation policies and other policies manifest themselves and affect outcomes are specific to the context of every location.
IPPC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) makes clear that
deep cuts in emissions will require a diverse portfolio of policies, institutions, and technologies as well as changes in human behaviour and consumption patterns (high evidence; high
agreement). There are many different development trajectories capable of substantially
mitigating emissions; the ability to meet those trajectories will be constrained if particular
technologies are removed from consideration. It is virtually certain that the most appropriate policies will vary by sector and country, suggesting the need for flexibility rather than a
singular set of policy tools. In most countries, the actors that are relevant to controlling
emissions aren’t just national governments. Many diverse actors participate in climate policy from the local to the global levels—including a wide array of nongovernmental organizations representing different environmental, social, business and other interests. (robust
evidence, medium agreement)
Further,
policies to mitigate emissions are extremely complex and arise in the context of many different forms of uncertainty. While there has been much public attention to uncertainties in
P. Saundry