Gedrucktes Buch: 25 US-$.
Zusammenfassung und gratis-pdf des Buchs: https://group30.org/publications/detail/4791
Executive summary:
The evidence that climate change is posing unprecedented risks to our livelihoods is overwhelming. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) have reached the highest levels in 800,000 years. Over the last three decades, the number of registered severe weather events has tripled. The cost of weather-related insurance losses has increased eightfold over the past decade, to an average of US$60 billion; and average uninsured losses from weather events have increased sevenfold. Still, these effects pale in significance compared to what might come. If the world continues on its current path, temperatures will rise by over 3 degrees Celsius (°C) above preindustrial levels by 2100, leading to severe and irreversible physical damage. This includes higher sea levels, food insecurity, more frequent natural disasters, and significant increases in the number of dangerous heat days. Overall, world gross domestic product (GDP) could be up to 25 percent lower by 2100 due to these impacts. Leaving the path toward a climate catastrophe requires us to embrace green technologies across all sectors of the economy. We will need to reduce carbon emissions to net zero to limit the increase in global temperatures to well below 2˚C above preindustrial levels and avoid the most catastrophic consequences of climate change. The window for an orderly transition to a net-zero economy is finite and closing, so we need to act now. Rises in global average temperatures have already reached 1°C, and could exceed 1.5°C as early as 2030. At current rates, we will have exhausted the remaining “carbon budget” that is consistent with limiting global warming to 2°C within the next 25 years. To avert a climate catastrophe, we need to act now and put the world economy on a trajectory toward a net-zero carbon economy by 2050. Transitioning to a net-zero economy not only addresses an existential threat—it also opens up significant opportunities. In the near term, significant green stimulus packages can help revive economies following the devastating consequences of Covid-19. Businesses that embrace the transition to net zero also stand to seize significant long-run returns. The United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Investing estimate that utilities that are fully embracing the net-zero economy could see their market values increase by over 40 percent as investors shift away from lagging to leading firms. New generations of electric vehicles demonstrate that green alternatives can not only be more environmentally friendly, but also commercially viable. This report sets out the steps that governments have to take to provide the incentives for a transition to net zero. It also describes how the financial sector can accelerate and amplify the effectiveness of public policy by providing capital for sustainable technologies, and by supporting companies in transitioning from high carbon to green, and from green to greener (Box ES.1)
