Climate & Biodiversity Mission.
To reduce the negative effects of climate change and protect natural ecosystems and biodiversity.
Introducing key challenges.
Climate change is probably the greatest challenge humanity is facing and will boost many other risks that we will need to mitigate in order to guarantee our existence in the future. Therefore, since climate change has a direct impact on a social, environmental and economic level, the problems in this mission are fully related to many of the problems in the other missions.
The shift from an economic model based on carbon-intensive activities to another model based on low-carbon activities will entail a sustainable energy transition which will not only be focused on the development of renewable energy technology but also on a fair social transition and the adaptation of the capital markets to this new economy.
Moreover, the population and economic growth of emerging countries means stopping global warming will be even more challenging, as we will need to balance social prosperity with a new economic system based on low-carbon activities.
Correlation between CO2 concentration (ppm) and temperature (°C).
Since the industrial revolution, the average concentration of CO2, measured in parts per million (ppm), has reached figures that were unthinkable a few years ago and currently stands at more than 400 ppm. This concentration of CO2 is one of the leading causes of global warming, resulting in a increase of the average temperature of the Earth.
Cumulative CO2 emissions by region (% of global CO2 cumulative emissions).
The figure above shows the cumulative CO2 emissions by region. Since global warming is an cumulative phenomenon, it is necessary to see the big picture to understand the responsibility every country has in it. Acting together and providing a global response is the only alternative to stop the climate emergency.
Decarbonization rate and CO2 reduction scenarios (billion tonnes of CO2).
According to scientific forecasts, emissions must drop rapidly to 25 gigatons of CO2 by 2030 to limit the global rise in temperatures to 1.5 °C—but current commitments are far from there (56 Gt CO2). Despite this, we can limit global warming to 1.5 °C if we make a great effort to achieve a decarbonization rate of 7.6% per year between 2020 and 2030, while if we wait until 2025 to take action, the decarbonization rate would have to be 15.5% every year. The greater the delay, the greater the cost of (in)action will be.