The Common Hour: Mitigation of Climate Change

Mitigation of Climate Change: Working Group III Contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report

Maria Silvia Muylaert de Araujo

GHG emissions accelerate despite reduction efforts. Most emission growth is CO2 from fossil fuel combustion and industrial processes. Without more mitigation, global mean surface temperature might increase by 3.7 degrees to 4.8 degrees Celcius over the 21st century. Delaying mitigation is estimated to increase the difficulty and narrow the options for limiting warming to 2 degrees Celcius. Effective mitigation will not be achieved if individual agents advance their own interests independently. Issues of equity, justice, and fairness arise with respect to mitigation and adaptation. Climate policy may be informed by a consideration of a diverse array of risks and uncertainties, some of which are difficult to measure, notably events that are of low probability but which would have a significant impact if they occur.