21 Nov 2012

UNEP / EMISSIONS GAP REPORT

As countries prepare to meet next week at a major UN meeting on climate change, the world body today released a new report which finds that the concentration of warming gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) has increased by 20 per cent since 2000. UNEP

Posted at: November 21, 2012 5:54 pm

Duration: 01:32

Available in: SD

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STORY: UNEP / EMISSIONS GAP REPORT
TRT: 1.32
SOURCE: UNEP / UNICEF / WORLD BANK
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 19 NOVEMBER 2012, NAIROBI, KENYA / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – UNEP – DATES AND LOCATIONS UNKNOWN

1. Wide shot, traffic jam
2. Close up, car exhaust

UNEP - 19 NOVEMBER 2012, NAIROBI, KENYA

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Alcamo, UNEP Chief Scientist:  
"In this report, scientists that we convened together, over 45 scientists from around the world, came to the conclusion that by 2020, if we just complied with current pledges that the countries have made to reduce emissions, global emissions will not be low enough to be on track to meet the two degree climate target. So in other words, we cannot wait until 2020 to have stringent reductions."

FILE – UNICEF – 1 FEBRUARY 2012, MORADABAD, INDIA

4. Pan right, traffic jam

UNEP - 19 NOVEMBER 2012, NAIROBI, KENYA

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Alcamo, UNEP Chief Scientist:  
"We know what the challenge is. It's a question now of taking action. Between now and 2020, through the negotiations, we can tighten up the rules for complying with pledges, that would lead to a reduction in emissions. We can carry out in their own countries a variety of policies in their own self-interest, in the energy sector, transportation, in appliance standards, and deforestation, all would lead to their own self-interest, but at the same time would lead to substantial emission reductions, enough to close the gap in 2020."

FILE – UNICEF – 30 JUNE 2011, DAKAR, BANGLADESH

6. Wide shot, traffic on street

FILE – WORLD BANK – 2011 - SHAOXIAGN, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE

7. Wide shot, streets with taxis

STORYLINE:

Action on climate change needs to be scaled-up and accelerated without delay if the world is to have a running chance of keeping a global average temperature rise below two degrees celsius this century.

The Emissions Gap Report, coordinated by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the European Climate Foundation shows that greenhouse gas emissions levels are now around 14 per cent above where they need to be in 2020.

Instead of declining, concentration of warming gases like carbon dioxide (C02) are actually increasing in the atmosphere, up around 20 per cent since 2000.

The Emissions Gap Report 2012 points out that even if the most ambitious level of pledges and commitments were implemented by all countries and under the strictest set of rules, there will now be a gap of 8 Gt of CO2 equivalent by 2020.

SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Alcamo, UNEP Chief Scientist:  
"In this report, scientists that we convened together, over 45 scientists from around the world, came to the conclusion that by 2020, if we just complied with current pledges that the countries have made to reduce emissions, global emissions will not be low enough to be on track to meet the two degree climate target. So in other words, we cannot wait until 2020 to have stringent reductions."

There are abundant examples of actions at the national level in areas ranging from improved building codes to fuel standards for vehicles which if scaled up and replicated can assist.

SOUNDBITE (English) Joe Alcamo, UNEP Chief Scientist:  
"We know what the challenge is. It's a question now of taking action. Between now and 2020, through the negotiations, we can tighten up the rules for complying with pledges, that would lead to a reduction in emissions. We can carry out in their own countries a variety of policies in their own self-interest, in the energy sector, transportation, in appliance standards, and deforestation, all would lead to their own self-interest, but at the same time would lead to substantial emission reductions, enough to close the gap in 2020."

The report estimates that there are potentially large emissions reductions possible—in a mid-range of 17 Gt of C02 equivalents - from sectors such as buildings, power generation and transport that can more than bridge the gap by 2020.