Actual global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2) reached a new record of 34.5 billion tonnes in 2012. Yet, the increase in global CO 2 emissions in that year slowed down to 1.1% (or 1.4%, not…
Countries’ contributions to climate change: effect of accounting for all greenhouse gases, recent trends, basic needs and technological progress
Discussions at UN climate negotiations tend to focus on which countries have contributed most to climate change. This contribution depends on the methods for calculating both historical and current…
Regional GHG reduction targets based on effort sharing: a comparison of studies
The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report noted that Annex I countries’ targets for 2020 would need to be 25% to 40% below the 1990 level to be in line with the 2° Celsius (C) target. What is the equivalent…
Cost of greenhouse gas mitigation - comparison between TIMER and WorldScan
PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency uses the TIMER and Worldscan models to assess the costs and effects of global climate change policies. Both models have their strengths and weaknesses…
The impact of technology availability on the timing and costs of emission reductions for achieving long-term climate targets
While most long-term mitigation scenario studies build on a broad portfolio of mitigation technologies, there is quite some uncertainty about the availability and reduction potential of these…
A new scenario framework for climate change research: the concept of shared socioeconomic pathways
The new scenario framework for climate change research envisions combining pathways of future radiative forcing and their associated climate changes with alternative pathways of socioeconomic…
The provision of public goods by agriculture: Critical questions for effective and efficient policy making
Agriculture produces both marketable and public goods, such as landscape and farmland biodiversity. The provision of these public goods is often under pressure as a result of various developments…
This special issue of Biogeosciences reports the detail of the scientific findings discussed at the international science conference Nitrogen and Global Change, held in Edinburgh on from 11–15 April…
The European Commission has launched a discussion with its Green Paper on climate and energy policies. PBL has analysed the effects of various assumptions on Member States' emission targets for 2030…
Changing track, changing tack; Dutch ideas for a robust environmental policy for the 21st century
The positive effects of environmental policy in the past do not guarantee adequate results for the future. Present and future environmental challenges require new approaches, primarily because the old…