How much greenhouse gas can still be emitted to limit global warming to 2 degrees? And how much would it be according to the current emission reduction commitments? The ‘gap’ between these two values has been calculated in the ‘Emissions Gap Report’ of the UN Environment Programme UNEP. The eighth report does not only address the gap for 2020, but also the necessary development for achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement in later years, in particular for 2025 and 2030. The report also covers an assessment of the potential for closing the global gap, for example by increasing energy efficiency. UNEP published the report with support of the German government.
The report was widely presented and discussed by UN and German government representatives during the first days of the annual Conference of Parties of the UN Climate Change Convention (COP23) in Bonn. State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Jochen Flasbarth, underlined that the report provides essential information for guiding national climate policies and orientation for the negotiations between governments, which will mainly take place in the second week of the conference (13-17/11/2017).
The report has been prepared by an international team of leading scientists. Independent experts have been invited to review the report, and it has been communicated to all of the world’s governments. Chapter 4 (“Bridging the gap - sectoral greenhouse gas emission reduction potentials in 2030”) is co-authored by Prof. Hans Joosten, who has provided data on the global distribution and status of peatlands. Overall, four scientific publications from German scientists are cited in the report. During a ‘side event’ in the German pavilion, Dr. Franziska Tanneberger presented main findings about peatlands and climate protection.
Further Information:
UN Emissions Gap Report 2017
Press Release from UN Environment
Further information on peatlands and climate protection
Global Peatland Database of the Greifswald Mire Centre
Contact at the University of Greifswald
Prof. Dr. Hans Joosten/Dr. Franziska Tanneberger
Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology
Soldmannstr. 15
17487 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 420-4177 or -4137
email: joostenuni-greifswaldde, tanneuni-greifswaldde