Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

A methodology to correlate short-term regional climate action and long-term global temperature goals


Affiliations
1 Energy Environment Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru 560 012, India
2 Tricontinental Institute of Social Research, New Delhi 110 016, India
 

We provide a methodology for assessing short-term mitigation targets for a region against long-term global goals of addressing climate change. We first estimate the per capita fair share of the remaining carbon budget for India from 2018 onwards. Potential long-term emissions trajectories between 2018 and 2100 compatible with this fair share are then constructed. These budget-compatible trajectories are then compared to the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) as well as results from five modelling studies for India. The methodology discussed here can be used to assess the adequacy of NDCs and also helps in rationalizing the process of target setting for climate action.

Keywords

Carbon budget, climate change, emissions trajectories, fair share, global temperature.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • MoEFCC, India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution. Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, 2015.
  • Olhoff, A. and Christensen, J. M., Emissions Gap Report 2018. United Nations Environment Programme, 2018.
  • Mohan, A. and Wehnert, T., Is India pulling its weight? India’s nationally determined contribution and future energy plans in global climate policy. Climate Policy, 2019, 19(3), 275–282.
  • Carraro, C., A bottom-up, non-cooperative approach to climate change control: assessment and comparison of nationally determined contributions (NDCs). J. Sustain. Dev., 2016, 9(5); https://ssrn.com/abstract=3106831.
  • Yu, S. et al., Implementing nationally determined contributions: building energy policies in India’s mitigation strategy. Environ. Res. Lett., 2018, 13, 034034.
  • Gao, G. et al., Sufficient or insufficient: assessment of the intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) of the world’s major greenhouse gas emitters. Front. Eng. Manage., 2019, 6, 19– 37; https://doi.org/10.1007/s42524-019-0007-6.
  • Liu, P. R. and Raftery, A. E., Country-based rate of emissions reductions should increase by 80% beyond nationally determined contributions to meet the 2°C target. Commun Earth Environ., 2021, 2, 29; https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00097-8.
  • MoEFCC, India’s GHG emissions profile – results of five climate modelling studies. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change, Government of India, 2009; moef.gov.in/wp-content/ uploads/2018/04/GHG_report_2.pdf
  • Zickfeld, K., Eby, M., Matthews, H. D. and Weaver, A. J., Setting cumulative emissions targets to reduce the risk of dangerous climate change. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2009, 106, 16129–16134.
  • Matthews, H. D., Gillett, N. P., Stott, P. A. and Zickfeld, K., The proportionality of global warming to cumulative carbon emissions. Nature, 2009, 459, 829–832.
  • Matthews, H. D. and Caldeira, K., Stabilizing climate requires near-zero emissions. Geophys. Res. Lett., 2008, 35; https://doi.org/ 10.1029/2007GL032388.
  • Meinshausen, M. et al., Greenhouse-gas emission targets for limiting global warming to 2°C. Nature, 2009, 458, 1158–1162.
  • Allen, M. R. et al., Warming caused by cumulative carbon emissions towards the trillionth tonne. Nature, 2009, 458, 1163–1166.
  • MacDougall, A. H. and Friedlingstein, P., The origin and limits of the near proportionality between climate warming and cumulative CO2 emissions. J. Climate, 2015, 28, 4217–4230.
  • Gillett, N. P., Arora, V. K., Matthews, D. and Allen, M. R., Constraining the ratio of global warming to cumulative CO2 emissions using CMIP5 simulations. J. Climate, 2013, 26, 6844–6858.
  • Zickfeld, K. et al., Long-term climate change commitment and reversibility: an EMIC intercomparison. J. Climate, 2013, 26, 5782– 5809.
  • Matthews, H. D. et al., Estimating carbon budgets for ambitious climate targets. Curr. Climate Change Rep., 2017, 3, 69–77.
  • Williams, R. G., Goodwin, P., Roussenov, V. M. and Bopp, L., A framework to understand the transient climate response to emissions. Environ. Res. Lett., 2016, 11, 015003.
  • Messner, D., Schellnhuber, J., Rahmstorf, S. and Klingenfeld, D., The budget approach: a framework for a global transformation toward a low-carbon economy. J. Renew. Sustain. Energy, 2010, 2, 031003.
  • Le Quéré, C. et al., Global carbon budget 2017. Earth Syst. Sci., 2018, 10, 405–448.
  • IPCC, Global warming of 1.5°C, an IPCC Special Report on the Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°C above Pre-industrial Levels and Related Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Pathways, in the Context of Strengthening the Global Response to the Threat of Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Efforts to Eradicate Poverty. IPCC, 2018 (eds MassonDelmotte, V. et al.), 2008, pp. 93–174.
  • Rogelj, J., Forster, P. M., Kriegler, E., Smith, C. J. and Séférian, R., Estimating and tracking the remaining carbon budget for stringent climate targets. Nature, 2019, 571(7765), 335.
  • IPCC, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (eds MassonDelmotte, V. et al.), Cambridge University Press, UK, 2021.
  • Gütschow, J., Günther, A. and Pflüger, M., The PRIMAP-HIST national historical emissions time series (1750–2019). 2021, v2.3.1. zenodo; https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5494497.
  • UN General Assembly, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. UN, 1992, Article 3, Paragraph 1.
  • Baer, P., Athanasiou, T. and Kartha, S., The right to development in a climate constrained world: the Greenhouse Development Rights framework. In Publication Series on Ecology, Heinrich Boll Stiflung, Berlin, 2007, vol. 1; ISBN: 978392-7760714.
  • Baer, P., Athanasiou, T., Kartha, S. and Kemp-Benedict, E., Greenhouse development rights: a proposal for a fair global climate treaty. Ethics Place Environ., 2009, 12(3), 267281.
  • Höhne, N., den Elzen, M. and Weiss, M., Common but differentiated convergence (CDC): a new conceptual approach to longterm climate policy. Climate Policy, 2006, 6(2), 181–199.
  • Holz, C., Kartha, S. and Athanasiou, T., Fairly sharing 1.5: national fair shares of a 1.5°C compliant global mitigation effort. Int. Environ. Agreements: Politics, Law Econ., 2018, 18(1), 117– 134.
  • Jiahua, P. and Ying, C., The carbon budget scheme: an institutional framework for a fair and sustainable world climate regime. Soc. Sci. China, 2009, 5(6), 83–98.
  • Kanitkar, T., Jayaraman, T., D’Souza, M., Sanwal, M., Purkayastha, P., Talwar, R. and Raghunandan, D., Meeting equity in a finite carbon world. In Proceedings of Global Carbon Budgets and Burden Sharing in Mitigation Actions, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, 2010.
  • Kanitkar, T., Jayaraman, T., D’Souza, M. and Purkayastha, P., Carbon budgets for climate change mitigation – a GAMS-based emissions model. Curr. Sci., 2013, 104(9), 1200–1206.
  • Pan, X., Teng, F. and Wang, G., Sharing emission space at an equitable basis: allocation scheme based on the equal cumulative emission per capita principle. Appl. Energy, 2014, 113, 1810– 1818.
  • Dubash, N. K., Khosla, R., Rao, N. D. and Bhardwaj, A, India’s energy and emissions future: an interpretive analysis of model scenarios. Environ. Res. Lett., 2018, 13.
  • UN, World Population Prospects 2019: Data Booket, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, United Nations, Geneva, 2019.
  • Shukla, P., Dhar, S., Pathak, M., Mahadevia, D. and Garg, A., Pathways to deep decarbonization in India. Sustainable Development Solutions Network – Institut du developpement durable et des relations internationales, 2015; http://deepdecarbonization.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/09/DDPP_IND.pdf
  • WWF-India and TERI, The Energy Report – India: 100% renewable energy by 2050. WWF-India and TERI, 2013; https://www.wwfindia.org/?10261/100-Renewable-Energy-by-2050-for-India
  • Planning Commission, The final report of the expert group on low carbon strategies for inclusive growth. Government of India, 2014; http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/genrep/rep_carbon2005.Pdf
  • NITI, Aayog, A report on energy efficiency and energy mix in the Indian energy system (2030), using India energy security scenarios, 2047, Government of India, 2015.
  • IEA, India Energy Outlook – World Energy Outlook Special Report. International Energy Agency, Paris, France, 2015; https://www.iea.org/publications/freepublications/publication/IndiaEnergyOutlook_WEO2015
  • CEA, All-India installed capacity, Central Electricity Authority Monthly Reports, 2018; http://www.cea.nic.in/monthlyinstalledcapacity.html
  • MNRE, Solar energy. Ministry of Renewable Energy, Government of India, 2010; https://mnre.gov.in/solar/current-status/
  • NREL, Concentrating solar power projects in India. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado, USA, 2019; https://solarpaces.nrel.gov/bycountry/IN
  • Purohit, I. and Purohit, P., Technical and economic potential of concentrating solar thermal power generation in India. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., 2017, 78, 648–667.
  • Sharma, C., Sharma, A. K., Mullick, S. C. and Kandpal, T. C., Assessment of solar thermal power generation potential in India. Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., 2015, 42, 902–912.
  • Sharma, C., Sharma, A. K., Mullick, S. C. and Kandpal, T. C., Uncertainty in estimating renewable energy utilisation potential: a case of solar thermal power generation in India. Int. J. Ambient Energy, 2017, 38, 765–773.
  • NIWE, Estimation of installable wind power potential at 80 m level in India. National Institute of Wind Energy, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 2010; https://niwe.res.in/department_wra_est.php
  • Phadke, A., Bharvirkar, R. and Khangura, J., Reassessing wind potential estimates for India: economic and policy implications. Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA, 2011, LBNL-5077E; https://isswprod.lbl.gov/library/viewdocs/public/output/rpt81160.PDF
  • MNRE, Offshore wind. Ministry of Renewable Energy, Government of India, 2015; https://mnre.gov.in/wind/offshore-wind
  • NITI Aayog, Draft National Energy Policy, Government of India, 2017; https://niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/new_initiatives/NEPID_27.06.2017.pdf

Abstract Views: 316

PDF Views: 140




  • A methodology to correlate short-term regional climate action and long-term global temperature goals

Abstract Views: 316  |  PDF Views: 140

Authors

Tejal Kanitkar
Energy Environment Programme, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science Campus, Bengaluru 560 012, India
Haritha Songola
Tricontinental Institute of Social Research, New Delhi 110 016, India

Abstract


We provide a methodology for assessing short-term mitigation targets for a region against long-term global goals of addressing climate change. We first estimate the per capita fair share of the remaining carbon budget for India from 2018 onwards. Potential long-term emissions trajectories between 2018 and 2100 compatible with this fair share are then constructed. These budget-compatible trajectories are then compared to the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) as well as results from five modelling studies for India. The methodology discussed here can be used to assess the adequacy of NDCs and also helps in rationalizing the process of target setting for climate action.

Keywords


Carbon budget, climate change, emissions trajectories, fair share, global temperature.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv122%2Fi6%2F689-698