Is 1.5 degrees within reach for Asia Pacific region?

Title: Is 1.5 degrees within reach for Asia Pacific region?

Date: Monday, 8 November 2021

Time: 11:30—12:45 (BST)

Room: Multimedia Studio 1

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Background

Countries in Asia and the Pacific urgently need to scale up and accelerate climate action and take steps to implement a Just Transition. While the region combats the ever present social and economic challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, cumulative GHG emissions in the Asia-Pacific are back on the rise following a brief stall in early 2020 and are set to surpass the regional record of 36.7GtCO2e by the end of 2021. With over 60 per cent share of total global GHG emissions, climate actions taken by Asia-Pacific countries are crucial to mitigate anthropogenic climate change while generating multiple benefits including green jobs.

A joint ESCAP, UNEP, UN Women and the greenwerk study on Is 1.5°C within Reach for the Asia-Pacific Region? Ambition and Potential of NDC Commitments of the Asia-Pacific Countries, which was just released, shows that current unconditional and conditional NDC targets will reduce the Asia-Pacific regional GHG emissions to 29 GtCO2e by 2030. This represents an increase of 34 per cent of the emission levels of 2010 and is creating a significant barrier to achieving the aspired regional carbon neutrality by 2050. In addition, it is estimated that under the current climate policy scenario the Asia-Pacific region will reach a total high of 42.7 GtCO2e GHG emissions by 2030, which is a projected increase of 16 per cent from the record high 2019, and a 96 per cent increase from the GHG emissions levels in 2010.

Even if the Asia-Pacific regional member States adhere to and achieve these NDC targets,  their commitments will not deliver on the recommended global reductions of 7 per cent per year for the period 2021-2030, in order to keep the region and the world within the 1.5°C global temperature rise and to reach carbon neutrality in the decade 2050-2060.

UNEP and UNESCAP (co-chairs of the Issue-Based Coalition on Climate Change Mitigation and Air Pollution) will lead in organising this side event which will provide a space for dialogue among regional member States and stakeholders, identify opportunities and tools for raising the GHG emissions reduction ambition while supporting a just transition in the Asia-Pacific region. It will also identify how the UN system in the region is supporting raising ambition levels in NDCs to meet the 1.5℃ Paris Agreement target. UNDP, UN-Women, ILO, UNICEF as members of the Issue-Based Coalition on Climate Change Mitigation and Air Pollution will provide support in organizing this event.

MO/MC: Hannah Muthoni Ryder, Regional Climate Consultant, Environment and Development Division, UNESCAP