New research reveals massive emission reduction responsibility for Sweden
On Thursday 2 October, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) will launch a new report that describes Sweden’s responsibility for tackling climate change. The report will say that by 2020 emissions of greenhouse gases should reduce by over 100%. The launch will take place in the Swedish parliament (Sveriges Riksdag) and will be followed by a debate between Swedish parliamentarians from all parties.
Time: 14:30-16:00, Thursday 2 October
Place: Mynttorget 2, L4 17
The report and press pack will be available from www.sei.se on 2 October
The report, 'Sweden’s leadership in a climate constrained world' describes Sweden’s true obligations for tackling the twin challenges of climate change and development.
“This report is an early warning for the Swedish and OECD governments”, says Johan Rockström, executive director of Stockholm Environment Institute, “Taking drastic action is not a choice, it is a necessity to avoid crossing dangerous thresholds. Emission cuts of more than 100% in developed countries should tackle domestic and international emissions, as well as the emissions from our consumption of products produced abroad.”
The report is based on Stockholm Environment Institute’s pioneering research into carbon footprinting and the groundbreaking Greenhouse Development Rights (GDRs) framework. It reveals the hidden emissions of Sweden’s consumers and presents an emission reduction pathway for 2020 and beyond.
“The bottom line is that the current climate negotiations will not succeed until they address the fundamental challenge of human development for the poorest people on the planet”, says report author, Sivan Kartha from Stockholm Environment Institute. “Greenhouse Development Rights puts the right to development at the core of a global climate stabilization solution. For Sweden, as for other developed countries, this means investing in far deeper cuts in emissions than previously thought by any organisation, governmental or non-governmental.”
The launch will be presented by:
Professor Johan Rockström: professor in natural resources management at Stockholm University and executive director of Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Stockholm Resilience Centre. He has over fifteen years of research and development work in developing countries, with more than 50 scientific publications in areas of water resource management, agricultural development, environmental management, systems research and resilience research. He has served as regional advisor to the Regional Land Management Unit (RELMA) of Sida, Sweden’s development agency. He has contributed to the management and strategic planning of WaterNet, a regional capacity building programme on Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) in Southern Africa, as well as 40 higher-learning and research institutions in 12 countries. He is coordinator of several national and regional research and development projects linked to the Global Water Partnership, the Global Dialogue on Water for Food and Environmental Security, and the Resilience Alliance. He serves on the Steering Committee of the Comprehensive Assessment on Water Management in Agriculture, and the African Conservation Tillage Network. He has carried out research activities on agricultural water management and watershed management in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Dr. Sivan Kartha: programme director for Stockholm Environment Institute's research into climate change. His research includes technical and methodological aspects of international agreements, as well as questions regarding equitable sharing of responsibility for addressing the climate challenge. Together with Eric Kemp-Benedict (SEI) and Paul Baer and Tom Athanasiou (EcoEquity), he developed the Greenhouse Development Rights framework, which was launched at the Bali climate change conference in December 2007.
Dr. John Barrett: senior research associate for the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York. He has pioneered research into ecological footprinting and developed the models that describe greenhouse gas emissions arising from consumption. His team have provided the ecological footprint calculators for organisations as diverse as WWF and BBC. They have also developed modelling software (the Resources and Energy Analysis Programme, REAP) to support evidence based policy making in the UK. Earlier this year his team carried out a study into greenhouse gas emissions from Swedish consumers, the results of which have been used to describe Sweden’s emission reduction obligation under the Greenhouse Development Rights framework.
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