The Paris Agreement introduced three mitigation targets. In the future, the main focus should not be on temperature targets such as 2 or 1.5 °C, but on the target with the greatest potential to effectively guide policy: net zero emissions.
References
Adoption of the Paris Agreement FCCC/CP/2015/L.9/Rev.1 (UNFCCC, 2015); http://go.nature.com/45AnVU,
Jordan, A. et al. Clim. Policy 13, 751–769 (2013).
Jackson, R. B. et al. Nature Clim. Change 6, 7–10 (2016).
Kolstad, C. et al. in Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change (eds Edenhofer, O. et al.) 207–282 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2014); http://go.nature.com/4D6oxe,
Fisher, B. S. et al. in Climate Change 2007: Mitigation (eds Metz, B. et al.) 169–250 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2007); http://go.nature.com/I4qNvQ,
Geden, O. Modifying the 2 °C Target (German Institute for International and Security Affairs, 2013); http://go.nature.com/uUPo1T,
Vogler, J. Climate Change in World Politics (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015).
Hoppe, R. The Governance of Problems (Policy Press, 2013).
Brunsson, N. The Consequences of Decision-Making (Oxford Univ. Press, 2007).
Edvardsson Björnberg, K. Energy Policy 56, 285–292 (2013).
Knutti, R., Rogelj, J., Sedláček, J. & Fischer, E. M. Nature Geosci. 9, 13–18 (2016).
Geden, O. Nature 521, 27–28 (2015).
Rogelj, J. et al. Environ. Res. Lett. 10, 105007 (2015).
Thornton, J. & Covington, H. Nature Geosci. 9, 3–5 (2016).
Briggs, S., Kennel, C. F. & Victor, D. G. Nature Clim. Change 5, 969–70 (2015).
Meadowcroft, J. Climatic Change 118, 137–49 (2013).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Geden, O. An actionable climate target. Nature Geosci 9, 340–342 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2699
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2699
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Exploring the links between climate transparency and mitigation policy through a reflexive capacity lens: case studies of Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, and Mexico
International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics (2023)
-
Green frontrunner or indebted culprit? Assessing Denmark’s climate targets in light of fair contributions under the Paris Agreement
Climatic Change (2023)
-
Net-zero emissions targets are vague: three ways to fix
Nature (2021)
-
Threshold, budget and deadline: beyond the discourse of climate scarcity and control
Climatic Change (2021)
-
Balancing a budget or running a deficit? The offset regime of carbon removal and solar geoengineering under a carbon budget
Climatic Change (2021)