Climate protection as a world citizen movement

Climate protection as a world citizen movement

Download PDF 4.55 MB

Schellnhuber, Joachim / Dirk Messner / Frauke Kraas / Claus Leggewie / Peter Lemke / Ellen Matthies / Nakisa Nakicenovic / Sabine Schlacke / Uwe Schneidewind
External Publications (2014)

Berlin: Wissenschaftlicher Beirat der Bundesregierung Globale Umweltveränderungen (WBGU), Special Report

ISBN: 978-3-936191-43-1

The 5th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes it unmistakeably clear: unacceptable climatic consequences, which are likely to escalate beyond the 2°C guard rail, can only be avoided if further increases in greenhouse-gas concentrations are halted as soon as possible. The WBGU therefore recommends reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuels to zero by 2070 at the latest. This policy goal is both ambitious and incisive, because 'the zero target must be reached' by every country, every municipality, every company and every citizen if the world as a whole is to become climate-neutral. However, the 2°C line can only be held if a large proportion of stakeholders – especially the OECD countries – start reducing their emissions much earlier. Global society as a whole has only a very limited carbon budget at its disposal; emissions should therefore peak by 2020 if possible, or in the third decade at the latest. In this report the WBGU outlines a two-pronged strategy for global climate protection based on interaction between multilateralism and civil society. To achieve this, on the one hand the Paris Climate Agreement targeted for late 2015 should exhibit certain characteristics set out by the WBGU. In particular, a process should be agreed to ensure compliance with the 2°C guard rail. On the other hand, all social actors should make their specific contributions towards decarbonization. In this way, an intricate responsibility architecture for the future of our planet can emerge in which vertical delegating and horizontal engagement are not contradictions, but complementary factors that reinforce each other.

About the author

Messner, Dirk

Political Scientist

Messner

Further experts

Aleksandrova, Mariya

Climate risk governance 

Banerjee, Aparajita

Environmental and Resource Sociology, Public Policy 

Brandi, Clara

Economy and Political Science 

Dippel, Beatrice

Comparatist 

Dombrowsky, Ines

Economist 

Donnelly, Aiveen

Politcal Science 

Ekoh, Susan S.

Environmental Research 

Goedeking, Nicholas

Comparative Political Economy 

Hein, Jonas

Geography 

Hernandez, Ariel

Economy 

Houdret, Annabelle

Political Scientist 

Hägele, Ramona

Political Scientist 

Lehmann, Ina

Political Science 

Malerba, Daniele

Economy 

Mathis, Okka Lou

Political Scientist 

Never, Babette

Political Scientist 

Pegels, Anna

Economist 

Schoderer, Mirja

Environmental Research 

Schüpf, Dennis

Economics 

Srigiri, Srinivasa Reddy

Agricultural Economist