by Brianna Crandall — November 27, 2013—Boosting energy efficiency and deploying renewable energy initiatives are among the recommended ways for the global community to help combat global warming, according to the United Nations’ Emissions Gap Report 2013 released on November 5.
The report, coordinated by the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) and involving 44 scientific groups in 17 countries, presents the lowest-cost options needed to keep a projected global temperature rise below 2°C this century. The scenarios could also help prevent rising water levels along coasts, which would affect a myriad of major cities.
According to the report, improved energy efficiency could avoid the emissions of 2 gigatons (Gt) of carbon dioxide by 2020. For example, more energy-efficient light bulbs could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from lighting, which accounts for approximately 15% of global power consumption and 5% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. More than 50 countries have agreed to phase out inefficient incandescent lamps by the end of 2016, noted UNEP.
The report also noted that during the last eight years, the number of countries with clean energy targets, which can require renewable energy installations, has tripled from 48 to 140, indicating that the shift to renewable energy is gaining pace. Renewable energy initiatives like these could foreseeably cut 1 to 3 Gt of carbon dioxide emissions by 2020.
