The global economy is producing an unsustainable level of CO2 emissions. However, 194 countries signed the Paris Climate Agreement at COP21 in December 2015, with the objective of limiting the rise in global temperature to 2°C above pre-industrial levels.
Research in 2014 by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), compared the CO2 outcome of GBP 10 million invested in the global economy as it is today with the same amount invested in the lower carbon economy we will need if we are to achieve the 2°C target. The UNFCCC’s research shows that a “2°C economy” still emits CO2, but significantly less so than is the case today. A huge change in our energy use and substantial investment in new environmental technologies are required if we are to meet these goals. Yet this shift is already well underway, driven by the rising adoption of energy efficiency, renewable energy and waste management, as well as changes in land use and farming practices around the world.
