Human Development Reports - United Nations Development Programme

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Main policy recommendations

1. International cooperation to fight climate change

Petition your government and advocate for the establishment of an international agreement on:

• limiting to 2°C the rise in global temperatures
• limiting CO₂ in the atmosphere to 450 ppm (parts per million)
• reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by the year 2050 (from 1990 levels)
  
• cutting greenhouse gas emissions in developed countries by at least 80% by the year 2050, with 20–30% cuts by 2020

2. Support the creation of a carbon budget

Fighting climate change starts at home, with each of us. As a consumer, you can support the reduction of CO₂ emissions by:

• purchasing energy efficient goods
• using fuel efficient modes of transportation

As nations, we will make a difference if we establish national carbon budgets that:

• put a price on carbon
• invest in clean technologies

3. Strengthen international cooperation and assistance

The world needs to come together and tackle this crisis in one concerted effort. We must demand that our governments:

• share access to modern energy services, which would benefit about 2.5 billion people around the world
• help developing countries switch to low-carbon technologies for energy production
• finance programmes such as forest conservation and grasslands restoration

4. Put climate change at the centre of poverty reduction

The poor will be hit hardest by climate change and many of them are already exposed to its devastating repercussions. We need to extend our solidarity to people around the world as to:

• strengthen the capacity of developing countries to adapt to current impacts of climate change
  
• integrate adaptation into poverty reduction strategies
• allocate at least US$86 billion in finance for climate change adaptation to protect progress towards the MDGs and prevent reversals in human development

For the full text of these policy recommendations, please refer to the summary of the Report:

• Policy recommendations [55 KB]

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