Umweltbundesamt
A research project for the German Environment Agency investigates options for multilateral initiatives of G20 countries to close the climate ambition gap between insufficient current policies and contributions and the goals of the Paris Agreement by 2030. The policy fields energy transition, synthetic e-fuels, sustainable food systems and forest protection are at the spotlight of the analysis.
The Parties to the Paris Agreement agreed to hold the long-term rise in global temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. However, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and climate protection measures are not sufficient to achieve this goal. By 2030, current projections predict an ambition gap of 26 to 29 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalents if the NDCs are not raised (Climate Action Tracker 2019).
Bi- and multilateral agreements and cooperation are an effective means to promote and accelerate this process. Not only do they facilitate international knowledge transfer about existing and effective mechanisms, but they also drive the development of new strategies and solutions and can help addressing the unequal distribution of emission sources, climate change impacts and mitigation costs.
Member states of the G20 currently account for about 80 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and are therefore of key importance for the achievement of the Paris Agreement and climate mitigation targets. However, their NDCs are either insufficient to comply with the limit of 1.5 degree Celsius or are not being implemented sufficiently.
The project aims to identify and assess relevant options for multilateral initiatives to accelerate global climate action by 2030. The project results are designed to support scientific policy advise and climate diplomacy, for example among the G20 countries.
The first step of the project summarizes existing analyses of technical mitigation options and develops criteria for the selection and evaluation of existing multilateral initiatives. For four policy fields - energy transition, synthetic e-fuels, sustainable food systems and forest protection – the project develops concrete proposals in the next step. During an international conference and in digital formats, the project results are discussed with its target audience. The project started in December 2019 and was completed at the end of 2021.
The background paper "Key mitigation options to close the global 2030 ambition and action gap" includes an overview of technical mitigation options discussed in the current literature that can contribute to closing the ambition gap. It serves as a basis for identifying key policy fields and promising initiatives for intergovernmental cooperation among G20 countries and other actors. A second background papier „Methodology and criteria for assessing multilateral initiatives to close the global 2030 climate ambition and action gap“ explains the methodology for the assessment in further detail.
In several policy papers, detailed analyses of a selection of multilateral initiatives of the G20 countries are conducted for particularly relevant policy areas - energy transition, synthetic e-fuels, sustainable food systems, and forest protection. On this basis, the policy papers develop proposals for new and improved multilateral initiatives:
The synthesis report of the project summarizes the proposals for new initiatives in all four policy. It further analyses interactions, synergies and trade-offs between the policy fields, and identifies relevant actors and countries. The report concludes with recommendations how the initiatives could be implemented in processes connected to UNFCCC, the G7 or G20 and in cooperation with the US.
The UBA’s motto, For our environment (“Für Mensch und Umwelt”), sums up our mission pretty well, we feel. In this video we give an insight into our work.
