OECD calls for more carbon emissions-cutting efforts

Advanced and emerging economies have made progress in cutting green gas emissions but more efforts are needed to tackle global warming and stop climate deterioration, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said on Tuesday.

In a fresh analysis on climate change mitigation in 44 countries and the EU, the Paris-based think-tank urged "governments to significantly accelerate their efforts and strengthen their climate change policies" and "to move from pledges to action."

"The momentum behind climate action is growing, with more countries taking action to price carbon and regulate emissions. But achieving the targets countries have set for themselves will require a sharp acceleration of effort," said OECD Environment Director Simon Upton.

"Countries are running out of time to make the policy adjustments needed to meet their targets and keep alive the long-term goal of limiting the temperature rise to 2 degrees. Governments need to construct a policy pathway that will lead to zero net carbon emissions by the end of the century," he added.

The OECD report studied the 34 OECD members in addition to Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and South Africa, and the EU bloc, which together account for more than 80 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

"Nearly all have decreased GHG emissions per unit of GDP by cutting fossil fuel subsidies, investing more to promote green technologies, protecting forests and reducing emissions from factories and farms," the OECD said.

"Several countries are also reducing their use of nuclear energy after the Fukushima disaster and some are turning to coal without carbon capture and storage. These countries still have a long way to go to transform fossil fuel-intensive systems that have been historically responsible for most of their emissions," the OECD added. Endit