Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Summary of Conclusions
- Part I Climate Change – Our Approach
- Part II Impacts of Climate Change on Growth and Development
- Part III The Economics of Stabilisation
- Part IV Policy Responses for Mitigation
- Part V Policy Responses for Adaptation
- Part VI International Collective Action
- 21 Framework for Understanding International Collective Action for Climate Change
- 22 Creating a Global Price for Carbon
- 23 Supporting the Transition to a Low-Carbon Global Economy
- 24 Promoting Effective International Technology Co-operation
- 25 Reversing Emissions from Land Use Change
- 26 International Support for Adaptation
- 27 Conclusions: Building and Sustaining International Co-operation on Climate Change
- Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Postscript
- Technical Annex to Postscript
- Index
27 - Conclusions: Building and Sustaining International Co-operation on Climate Change
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 March 2014
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Summary of Conclusions
- Part I Climate Change – Our Approach
- Part II Impacts of Climate Change on Growth and Development
- Part III The Economics of Stabilisation
- Part IV Policy Responses for Mitigation
- Part V Policy Responses for Adaptation
- Part VI International Collective Action
- 21 Framework for Understanding International Collective Action for Climate Change
- 22 Creating a Global Price for Carbon
- 23 Supporting the Transition to a Low-Carbon Global Economy
- 24 Promoting Effective International Technology Co-operation
- 25 Reversing Emissions from Land Use Change
- 26 International Support for Adaptation
- 27 Conclusions: Building and Sustaining International Co-operation on Climate Change
- Abbreviations and Acronyms
- Postscript
- Technical Annex to Postscript
- Index
Summary
KEY MESSAGES
Very strong reductions in carbon emissions are required to reduce the risks of climate change. They are likely to provide benefits well in excess of the costs. Indeed the costs of not acting strongly are likely to be very high.
Action is urgent since stocks of GHGs are rapidly approaching dangerous levels, there will be heavy investment in energy infrastructure that could lock in future emissions, and it will take time to develop technologies that deliver zero emissions at low cost.
Without a clear perspective on the long-term goals for stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, it is unlikely that action will be sufficient to meet the objective.
Action must include mitigation, innovation and adaptation, and there are many opportunities to start now, including where there are immediate benefits and where large-scale pilot programmes will generate valuable experience
Countries should agree a broad set of mutual responsibilities to contribute to the overall goal of reducing the risks of climate change. These responsibilities should take account of costs and the ability to bear them, as well as starting points, prospects for growth and past histories.
The challenge now is to broaden and deepen participation across all the relevant dimensions of action – including co-operation to create carbon prices and markets, to accelerate innovation and deployment of low-carbon technologies, to reverse emissions from land-use change and to help poor countries adapt to the worst impacts of climate change.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Economics of Climate ChangeThe Stern Review, pp. 640 - 644Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2007