Climate Reports Launched at COP25: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The annual U.N. climate negotiations offer a significant platform for groups to launch new initiatives and share their most up-to-date climate reports. COP25 in Spain was no exception, with a number of reports launched over the last two weeks. They are a resource for all things climate, from emissions data and analysis to climate actions and solutions.

 

Dr. Saleem Ali, Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at the University of Delaware, discusses the Emissions Gap Report 2019 at COP25 in Madrid.

Emissions Gap Report 2019: Each year, the U.N. Environment Programme publishes the Emissions Gap Report. This year’s report focuses on the “commitment gap,” which is the difference between what countries have committed to under the Paris Agreement and the emissions reductions that science shows are necessary “to prevent dangerous levels of climate change.” The interactive version of the report helps to visualize the gaps it describes. The report also provides guidance on potential paths forward to reduce the emissions gap. Chapter 4, “Bridging the gap: Enhancing mitigation ambition and action at G20 level and globally,” should serve as an invaluable tool for policymakers. The chapter authors explore how many countries, regions, cities, and businesses have implemented specific emissions reductions by sector. Then, they indicate the current opportunities for G20 member countries to reduce their emissions.

 

Carbon Budget 2019: On December 4, the Global Carbon Project announced the Carbon Budget for 2019. The report looks at emissions from fossil fuels and from land use changes, as well as carbon dioxide removals by natural sinks (i.e., the ocean, trees, and soils). The report highlights that “atmospheric CO₂ concentration reached 407.4 parts per million in 2018 on average, and is projected to increase by 2.2 ppm in 2019 (+1.8 to +2.6 ppm) to reach 410 ppm averaged over the year. Atmospheric CO2 concentration in 2019 are 47% above pre-industrial levels.” According to James Hansen, a climate scientist at Columbia University, CO₂ levels should be at about 350 ppm “to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted.”

 

UNFCCC Annex 1 Country Emissions: The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change hosts much of the emissions reporting information from national governments. This online resource provides emissions information from 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2016, and 2017 from all developed countries. The tables provide information on greenhouse gas emissions with and without land use changes, emissions of each separate greenhouse gas, and data by sectors. At COP25, the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice is reviewing the possibility of posting all countries’ emission data in a similar format.

 

Global Climate Risk Index 2020: For the past 15 years, Germanwatch has published the Global Climate Risk Index. This year’s report, Who Suffers Most from Extreme Weather Events? Weather-Related Loss Events in 2018 and 1999 to 2018, found that the most affected countries in 2018 were Japan, the Philippines, and Germany. The authors highlight that while they usually see less developed countries more impacted by climate, “the 2018 heatwaves and droughts also proved: High income countries feel climate impacts more clearly than ever before.” The United States ranked 12th overall in 2018, but ranked first for monetary losses (excluding deaths). 

 

2019 State of Climate Services: Agriculture and Food Security: This report is the first ever report on climate services by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In the report, WMO, “reviews countries’ priorities on climate services for adaptation, noting that agriculture is one of the highest, and identifies priority capacity needs. It examines capacity gaps across six components of the climate services value chain including: governance, basic systems, user interface, capacity development, provision and application of climate services, and monitoring and evaluation.”

 

Ocean for Climate Report: Published ahead of COP25 and presented at the high-level launch of the Platform for Science-Based Ocean Solutions, Ocean for Climate: Ocean-related Measures in Climate Strategies explores the extent to which the ocean is integrated in Nationally Determined Contributions (the commitments made by signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement), national adaptation plans, adaptation communications, and national policy frameworks. The report highlights five actions, “(1) encouraging natural carbon sequestration by coastal ecosystems; (2) developing a range of sustainable ocean-based renewable energy solutions; (3) promoting adaptation and resilience solutions for vulnerable populations, ecosystems and ecosystem services threatened by climate change; (4) implementing hybrid solutions supporting both adaptation and mitigation in the fisheries and aquaculture sector; and (5) solutions in the shipping sector.”

 

Accelerating America’s Pledge: Going All-in to Build a Prosperous, Low-carbon Economy for the United States: Produced by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the report highlights the work of sub-national actors across the United States to lower greenhouse gas emissions. At present, the report finds that U.S. entities committed to the Paris Agreement account for 68 percent of U.S. GDP, 65 percent of all Americans, and 51 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The report sets out three principles of “all-in” climate action: 100 percent clean electricity, decarbonizing end-uses, and enhancing carbon storage in ecosystems. The authors explore pathways for the United States to decarbonize based on a “bottom-up scenario” that excludes federal action and an “all-in scenario” that includes federal policies.

 

U.S. Climate Alliance Annual Report—Strength in Numbers: American Leadership on Climate: The U.S. Climate Alliance is a group of 25 governors who have committed their states to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. Eight states joined the Alliance in 2019--Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The Alliance reports that, “According to independent analysis, the Alliance is on track to continue reducing GHG emissions through 2025, within reach of our GHG emissions reduction target. Considering policies currently in place, our collective GHG emissions are projected to fall by at least 20–27 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.”

 

While not full reports, it is also worth noting significant announcements coming out of COP25, including the United for the Paris Agreement joint statement from labor unions and CEOs. The CEO signatories employ over 2 million people and the labor unions represent over 12.5 million workers. The Investor Agenda also delivered a statement at COP25 stating that a “record 631 institutional investors managing more than $37 trillion in assets urge governments to step up ambition to tackle the global climate crisis.” The group calls for governments “to phase out thermal coal power worldwide, put a price on carbon, end subsidies for fossil fuels, and strengthen nationally-determined contributions.”

 

Author: Anna McGinn