The context – global climate change

Since the 1980s, there is a growing body of evidence that humankind is changing the global climate. This is caused mainly by increased emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), a greenhouse gas released when fossil fuels are burnt. Further global warming contributions are made by other gases such as methane, which is produced in waste management and in farming, and by gases from industrial processes. The concentration of CO₂ in the atmosphere is now at the highest level since about 400,000 years, and is well above the level previous to the industrial revolution.

If this development continues, the global mean temperature may rise by up to 5.8°C by the year 2100, and sea levels may rise by up to 90 cm. This will lead to flooded coastal zones, spreading desserts and melting glaciers. Even today, we can observe an increase of extreme weather events such as torrential rain and cyclones, but also longer dry periods.

Poor people in developing countries are hit hardest by the adverse effects of climate change. Adaptation to climate change has become inescapable. Strategies and concrete measures need to be developed.

Until now, the industrialised countries have been mainly responsible for human-induced global warming. While each Indian causes an average of about one ton of CO₂ emissions per year, a European is responsible for nine tons, and a US citizen for 20 tons. Emissions are growing worldwide, and developing countries, as a consequence of industrialisation and urbanisation, account for a disproportionate share of this growth. To contain this development, emissions must be limited and reduced.