INGENIEUR
policy experience , and the literature reviewed , duly considering the respective strengths and limitations of these information sources , this Commission concluded that the explicit carbon-price level consistent with achieving the temperature target is at least USD40 – 80 / tCO 2 by
2020 and USD50 – 100 / tCO 2 by 2030 , provided a supportive policy environment is in place .
The temperature objective of the Paris Agreement is also achievable with lower nearterm carbon prices than indicated above if needed to facilitate transitions ; doing so would require stronger action through other policies and instruments and / or higher carbon prices later , and may increase the aggregate cost of the transition .
The carbon pricing and complementarity measures indicated here are substantially stronger than those in place at present ( 85 % of global emissions are currently not priced , and about three-quarters of the emissions that are covered by a carbon price are priced below USD10 / tCO 2
).
This statement is consistent with the observation that the Nationally Determined Contributions ( NDCs ) for 2030 associated with the Paris Agreement represent emission reductions that are substantially smaller than those necessary for achieving the target of “ well below 2 ° C .”
World ’ s forests still big carbon store for now , but threats growing ( Source : Straits Times )
The world ’ s forests are still soaking up billions of tonnes of planet-warming carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) every year , a global study has found , despite millions of hectares being burned and cleared for agriculture .
The findings show that forests remain a key brake on the pace of climate change by locking away large amounts of CO 2 from industry , power stations and cars even after decades of destruction .
But the analysis shows that some forests , especially those in South-East Asia and the Amazon , are in trouble , becoming major sources of greenhouse gas emissions . It is a situation that could worsen unless land clearing and fires are rapidly reined in . Failure to do so could significantly undermine global efforts to fight climate change , scientists say .
The study , published in the journal Nature Climate Change , involved researchers from US space agency Nasa , the World Resources Institute ( WRI ), the Centre for International Forestry Research and others .
To get a better idea of the role of forests in regulating global CO 2 emissions , they came up with a method of calculating how much of the gas forests soak up naturally every year and how much of it is produced through deforestation , fires , clearing and draining peatlands and other disturbances .
The researchers created a map of greenhouse gas emissions ( sources ) and CO 2 removals ( sinks ) from global forests at a resolution of 30m by 30m between 2001 and 2019 .
They found that the world ’ s forests sequestered about twice as much CO 2 as they emitted between 2001 and 2019 . This “ carbon sink ” totalled a net 7.6 billion tonnes of CO 2 per year , 1.5 times more than the United States emits annually .
In all , forests absorbed about 16 billion tonnes of CO 2
, or about 30 % of mankind ’ s greenhouse gas emissions .
But deforestation , burning and other damage released more than eight billion tonnes of emissions every year , the researchers found . And that has been taking a toll on some of the world ’ s richest and largest carbon stores .
“ Over the past 20 years , forests across Southeast Asia have collectively become a net source of carbon emissions due to clearing for plantations , uncontrolled fires and drainage of peat soils ,” coauthors Nancy Harris and David Gibbs of WRI said in a blog post .
The region has the world ’ s third largest stretch of tropical rainforest , yet these forests now emit a net 490 million tonnes of CO 2 a year . For the Amazon too , the picture is grim . “ The Amazon River basin , which stretches across nine countries in South America , is still a net carbon sink , but teeters on the edge of becoming a net source if forest loss continues at current rates ,” the co-authors said .
Over the past four years , clearing for cattle pasture and degradation from fires have caused a big jump in deforestation and degradation in the Amazon Basin .
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