Mitigation
Carbon Budget
A carbon budget refers to the amount of carbon that can be emitted before global temperature rise exceeds a certain limit. The concept was first proposed in the 1980s and has gained traction since 2009 with the establishment of the 2 °C target as a basis for climate policy. Though carbon budgets are hard to […]
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) refers to a range of technologies that aim at capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions resulting from combustion of (mostly from industrial operations such as refineries and power plants) instead of releasing them into the atmosphere. The track record of CCS clearly shows that it is an ineffective, expensive, […]
Climate Justice
A concept in environmental advocacy that highlights how the disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups and nations, and calls for ensuring that the social, economic, and ecological vulnerabilities are taken into account when planning and policies. Rich countries are historically responsible for most cumulative greenhouse gas emissions since the industrial revolution. Yet, it is the poorest countries […]
Climate-Induced Conflict
Conflicts occurring due to the impacts of the . As of 2022, over 108 million people have been displaced as a result of ongoing conflict and violence, such as riots, terrorism and civil wars. The vicious cycle of resource shortage leading to violence, and vice versa, will be aggravated by , particularly in the world’s […]
Global Stocktake
The Global Stocktake (GST) is a process established under the to track progress of global and efforts. Background Article 14 of the Paris Agreement stipulates that the purpose of the GST is to assess the “collective progress” with regards to “mitigation, adaptation and the means of implementation and support”. Under this article, the first GST […]
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body that assesses the science related to climate change and provides policymakers with recommendations on how to combat . Assessment Reports produced by the IPCC summarize the latest and most robust research on climate change. The IPCC findings tend to be biased towards the […]
Methane Emissions
Methane (CH4) is the main component of fossil gas, making up 96% of its composition. It is also emitted from deforestation, landfills, cattle and other natural sources. Methane is over 100 times stronger than carbon dioxide (CO2) as a greenhouse gas, but within 7 years, 50% washes out of the atmosphere. Methane is 80 times […]
Paris Agreement
An agreement reached at COP21 in Paris in 2015 with a set of targets, most notably keeping at 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. Because commitments by countries in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs do not add up to a pathway that would meet this target, the Paris Agreement includes a “ratchet mechanism” that requires all […]
Run-Away Climate Change
Run-away climate change refers to that “feeds on itself” through amplifying feedback where the impacts of heating cause further heating. The easiest way to visualize it is to imagine a line of domino pieces – when the first one tips over, it leads to the next one falling and so on. Once started, it is […]
Supply-Side Mitigation
Strategies aimed at mitigating the impacts of through reducing extraction of . Examples include removing fossil subsidies and increasing taxes, divesting from extraction companies, and leaving fossil fuels in the ground. Supply-side policies are not yet as widespread as (the dominant approach of governments over the past 30 years), and have therefore been considered “the […]
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