Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2023
Höfundar / Authors: Aðalbjörg Egilsdóttir, Brynhildur Davíðsdóttir, Jón Geir Pétursson
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: Háskóli Íslands
Kynnir / Presenter: Aðalbjörg Egilsdóttir
Some countries have greater responsibility regarding the climate crisis than others, due to their high historic greenhouse gas emissions. International treaties emphasise common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, i.e., that those that have more responsibility for the global crisis also have greater responsibility for global mitigation and adaptation to climate change, along with those that have the capabilities to do so. However, the necessary reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, to keep global warming as close to 1.5°C as possible, have not been allocated between countries, and emissions continue to rise.
The purpose of this project was to estimate Iceland’s fair share of the 2030 and 2040 emissions gaps and its fair share of the remaining global carbon budget. The methods used were based on historical responsibility of emissions and financial capabilities. Results differ between analysis type, giving Iceland more flexibility when considering its fair share of the emissions gaps, allowing for 31% of expected emissions in 2040 when including LULUCF emissions, but carbon negative if excluding LULUCF emissions. Iceland’s fair share of the global carbon budget, however, is a negative emissions budget from 2021 onwards. The results show that ambition regarding greenhouse gas mitigation needs to be increased substantially in Iceland, should the country have a chance at fulfilling its fair share in mitigation of climate change globally.