Sharing a quota on cumulative carbon emissions
Any limit on future global warming is associated with a quota on cumulative global CO2 emissions. We translate this global carbon quota to regional and national scales, on a spectrum of sharing principles that extends from continuation of the present distribution of emissions to an equal per-capita distribution of cumulative emissions. A blend of these endpoints emerges as the most viable option.
For a carbon quota consistent with a 2 °C warming limit (relative to pre-industrial levels), the necessary long-term mitigation rates are very challenging (typically over 5% per year), both because of strong limits on future emissions from the global carbon quota and also the likely short-term persistence in emissions growth in many regions.
Authors
Specifications
- Publication title
- Sharing a quota on cumulative carbon emissions
- Publication date
- 21 September 2014
- Publication type
- Publication
- Magazine
- Nature Climate Change
- Product number
- 1580
