Towards a Policy Menu to Strengthen the Ambition to Mitigate Greenhouse Gases

Abstract

The international climate negotiations acknowledge that ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must be increased in the short term in order to maintain climate change at safe levels. Existing reduction commitments from countries play an essential role, but are not sufficient to close the gap between expected emissions and a two degree pathway. It is therefore imperative to identify areas with high mitigation potential as well as co-benefits; generate opportunities for action in these areas based on best practice experiences; provide matching support in terms of finance, capacity building and technologies; and encourage countries to sign up for such combinations of greenhouse gas mitigation and support.