Input To The European Commission Stakeholder Consultation On The 2015 International Climate Change Agreement Shaping International Climate Policy Beyond 2020 By The Wuppertal Institute For Climate Environment And Energy PDF Download

Climate change is one of the most serious challenges facing our world today. Its effects are being felt on all continents and are predicted to become more intense in the coming decades. These changes have the power to transform our world, affecting our environment, health, food and water supplies and pose threats to global security and stability. Although 195 countries agreed in the Paris Agreement of 2015 to tackle climate change by limiting global warming to 'well below' 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C, the average global temperature continues to increase. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) special report issued in October 20181, human-induced global warming has already reached 1°C and is increasing at a rate of approximately 0.2°C per decade. Without stronger international action, the average temperature increase could pass the critical 2°C level soon after 2060 and continue rising, making large-scale irreversible climate changes much more likely2. At the same time, awareness of climate change and the need for action is increasingly widespread. One of the largest demonstrations of this in recent times is the youth movement for climate that has garnered strong support in countries around the world. The EU is committed to being a leader in global climate action. It is on track to meet the targets under its 2020 climate and energy package3 and has put in place the legislative framework to deliver on its 2030 targets4. To build on this success and plan for the future, in November 2018 the European Commission unveiled its long-term strategic vision for a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate-neutral economy by 2050. The vision covers nearly all EU policies and is in line with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping the increase in global temperatures well below 2°C and pursue efforts to keep it to 1.5°C. The vision addresses not only the economic and industrial transitions that will need to occur, but also focuses on achieving these changes in a socially just manner. Previous rounds of this Eurobarometer survey on climate change were carried out in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017. This latest edition of the report covers four main areas: - Perceptions of climate change: where climate change ranks alongside other global challenges, and how serious the problem of climate change is considered to be; - Taking action on climate change: who has primary responsibility for addressing the problem, and personal steps taken to help tackle climate change; - Attitudes to actions to fight climate change, the transition to clean energy and reducing fossil fuel imports; - Looking to the future: whether national governments should set targets for renewable energy; whether they should support energy efficiency; and the level of agreement that the EU economy should be made climate-neutral by 2050.