This report provides a detailed overview of the national circumstances, emission levels, mitigation potential and measures for the major developing countries of Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.
These countries account for more than 50% of non-Annex I parties’ emissions. On behalf of UBA, Ecofys and the Wuppertal Institute, the authors analyse in detail the situation of the major emitting developing countries and conclude that all six countries dispose of considerable emission reduction potential, which would also have other positive effects such as improvement of air quality. The report also proposes enhanced mitigation activities and elements of international financial and non-financial support for realising these contributions.
Major points noted in this project include:
- emerging economies can also do their bit to meet global climate protection goals without fear of economic repercussions;
- emerging economies also have emission reduction potential with side effects not related to climate protection (‘co-benefit’ reduction potential), ie., creating jobs in the area of renewable energies;
- use of heat energy, wind is supplied by the supply network of the respective country and would thus reduce dependence on fossil fuels. In so doing, up to an average 17 percent of emerging countries’ emissions could be saved;
- majority of the measures to reduce emissions is possible at no extra net costs (‘no-regret’ reduction potential) and could lead to an average 9-percent emissions reduction in emerging economies;
- for emerging economies to exploit all of their emissions reduction potential requires the help of industrialized countries, either financially or with transfer of knowledge and cooperation in research and development projects.
