2 Ways to reduce and/or stabilise climate change

2.1 A range of options

There are a range of things that we can do to reduce the effect of climate change, both as individuals and collectively. There is an important role for governments to play. A range of policy options exists to governments to cut emissions; strong, deliberate policy action is required to motivate their take-up.

Emissions can be cut through increased energy efficiency, changes in demand and through adoption of clean power, heat and transport technologies. Cuts in non-energy emissions, such as those resulting from deforestation and from agricultural and industrial processes, are also essential. With strong, deliberate policy choices, it is possible to reduce emissions in both developed and developing economies on the scale necessary for stabilisation in the required range while continuing to grow.

According to the ‘Stern review on the economics of climate change’, commissioned by Gordon Brown (UK) in 2005, there are three elements of policy required for an effective global response. They are:

1. the pricing of carbon, implemented through tax, trading or regulation

2. developing policy to support innovation and the deployment of low-carbon technologies

3. action to remove barriers to energy efficiency, and to inform, educate and persuade individuals about what they can do to respond to climate change.

Action on climate change will also create significant business opportunities, as new markets are created in low-carbon energy technologies and other low-carbon goods and services. These markets could grow to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars each year, and employment in these sectors will expand accordingly. The evidence gathered by the Stern review concludes that the benefits of strong, early action considerably outweigh the costs and that ignoring climate change will eventually damage economic growth.