Climate Solutions that Can Help COP26’s GHG Reduction Goals

One of the main goals of the COP26 is to keep the Paris Agreement alive or limit global temperature rise below 2°C or preferably 1.5°C. The 2021 IPCC report shows that the world has already warmed by 1.1°C since the Industrial Revolution.

The last 50 years have also seen the fastest rise in global temperature due to high GHG concentrations in the atmosphere (IPCC report, 2021).

To keep the Paris Agreements targets, a total of 49 countries plus the EU have pledged a net-zero target.

According to the UNEP, this covers over half of the global domestic GHG emissions, over half of GDP, and a third of the world population. If these countries strongly implement these promises, it will shave off an extra half O.5°C off global warming. Still, many of these actions will take place until after 2030, which raises some doubt as to whether these promises will be delivered (Updated climate commitments, 2021).

To help countries reduce their GHG emissions faster and keep the Paris Agreement within reach, Project Drawdown has compiled a list of climate solutions that not only directly reduce emissions but also fulfil the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to eradicate hunger, poverty, inequality, and many other world issues (Frischmann, 2021).

These 82 climate solutions include:

• Abandoned Farmland Restoration,
• Alternative Cement,
• Alternative Refrigerants,
• Bicycle Infrastructure,
• Biochar Production,
• Carpooling,
• Coastal Wetland Protection,
• Conservation Agriculture,
• Efficient Aviation,
• Efficient Trucks,
• Hybrid cars,
• Methane Digesters,
• Net-Zero Buildings,
• Plant-rich Diets,
• Small Hydropower, etc.

Implementing these solutions can have cascading benefits and could also help countries improve their climate resilience.

“The solutions to global warming are the same as the solutions to food security, public health, ecosystem and biodiversity preservation, and improved livelihoods. Climate change aside, these are the things we need to do to create a society that serves and respects all people. So perhaps it’s time to stop calling them just “climate solutions” and call them what they really are: human solutions” (Frischmann, 2021).

To learn more about Project Drawdown and the climate solutions, click the link below: