2020 And Beyond: 2050 in light of the Copenhagen Accord
At the end of the Copenhagen Conference of December 2009, the attending parties failed to agree on a legally binding commitment, but ultimately signed the Copenhagen Accord. The countries signing this accord took different engagements in respect to their economic and emissions status.
The developed countries stated their targets in the Annex 1, where a specific emissions reduction is planned by 2020 based on a specific year. Non-annex 1 countries, developing nations, stated their emissions targets in different terms, usually in terms of a reduction versus business as usual or a reduction in carbon intensity. Through simple calculations, this paper seeks to illustrate what these targets represent concretely, in the same unit of CO2 emissions. By looking at the entirety of the Annex 1 countries, in addition to the major emitters of non-Annex 1 countries, China and India, this paper will project emissions to 2020 and 2050 and discuss their relevance to the goal of 450 ppm....
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Ifri's Energy and Climate Center carries out activities and research on the geopolitical and geoeconomic issues of energy transitions such as energy security, competitiveness, control of value chains, and acceptability. Specialized in the study of European energy/climate policies as well as energy markets in Europe and around the world, its work also focuses on the energy and climate strategies of major powers such as the United States, China or India. It offers recognized expertise, enriched by international collaborations and events, particularly in Paris and Brussels.
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