Emissions Gap Report 2020: UNEP | 10 Dec 2020

Why in News

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s Emissions Gap Report 2020 has been published recently.

• The annual report from UNEP measures the gap between anticipated emissions and levels consistent with the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming this century to well below 2°C and pursuing 1.5°C.

Key Points

• Analysis for the year 2019:
  
  • Record high GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions:
    • Global GHG emissions continued to grow for the third consecutive year in 2019, reaching a record high of 52.4 Gigatonne carbon equivalent (GtCO₂e) without including land use changes (LUC).
    • There is some indication that the growth in global GHG emissions is slowing.
      • However, GHG emissions are declining in Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) economies and increasing in non-OECD economies.
  • Record carbon emission:
    • Fossil carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions (from fossil fuels and carbonates) dominate total GHG emissions.
    • Fossil CO₂ emissions reached a record 38.0 GtCO₂ in 2019.
  • Forest fires increasing GHG emissions:
    • Since 2010, global GHG emissions have grown 1.4% per year on average, with a more rapid increase of 2.6% in 2019 due to a large increase in vegetation forest fires.
  • G20 countries account for bulk of emissions:
    • Over the last decade, the top four emitters (China, the United States of America, EU27+UK and India) have contributed to 55% of the total GHG emissions without LUC.
    • The top seven emitters (including the Russian Federation, Japan and international transport) have contributed to 65%, with G20 members accounting for 78%.
      • The ranking of countries changes when considering per capita emissions.
  • On consumption-based emissions:
    • There is a general tendency that rich countries have higher consumption-based emissions (emissions allocated to the country where goods are purchased and consumed, rather than where they are produced) than territorial-based emissions, as they typically have cleaner production, relatively more services and more imports of primary and secondary products.
      • Both emission types have declined at similar rates.
• Impact of the Pandemic:
  
  • Emissions Level: CO₂ emissions could decrease by about 7% in 2020 compared with 2019 emission levels, with a smaller drop expected in GHG emissions as non-CO₂ is likely to be less affected.
    
    • The resulting atmospheric concentrations of GHGs such as methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) continued to increase in both 2019 and 2020.
  • Sector reporting the lowest dip in emission due to pandemic:
    
    • The biggest changes have occurred in transport, as restrictions were targeted to limit mobility, though reductions have also occurred in other sectors.
• Issues and Possible Solutions:
  
  • The world is still heading for a temperature rise in excess of 3°C this century.
    
    • The levels of ambition in the Paris Agreement still must be roughly tripled for the 2°C pathway and increased at least fivefold for the 1.5°C Pathway.
  • Rise of 3°C in global temperatures could cause catastrophic weather-related events around the world.
    
    • UN Experts believe the way to avoid it is encourage green recovery for countries facing Covid-induced economic slumps.
    • A green recovery involves investment in zero emissions tech and infrastructure, reducing fossil fuel subsidies, stopping new coal plants, and promoting nature-based solutions, according to the UN.
    • Such actions could cut 25% of predicted emissions by 2030, and gives the planet a 66% chance of keeping warming below the 2°mark that the Paris pact had set as a long term goal.

Source:DTE