Sussex academics find ‘smart strategies’ can reduce emissions
The ‘transformative systemic change’ called for in the IPCC SR15 (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report can not only be met, but can also help us tackle other global sustainability goals, argue leading researchers at the University of Sussex.
Smart strategies can help us reduce emissions while providing more energy, protecting forests and meeting global food demand, say Members of the Sussex Sustainability Research Programme (SSRP).
Professor Joseph Alcamo, Director of the SSRP at the University of Sussex, said: “Page after page of scientific evidence in the new IPCC report confirms that stronger targets are needed to protect people and ecosystems from extreme climate impacts. Another message of the report is that big changes – “transformative changes” – will be needed to stay within a safe limit of climate change.”
“Most people still perceive climate change as an abstract danger, and not as pressing as their other day-to-day concerns. That’s why I think the report’s most important message is that we have a tremendous opportunity to combine climate goals with other goals that concern people, like providing clean energy for the world, growing enough nutritious food for everyone and in an ecological way, by protecting the unique ecosystems of world forests and elsewhere.”
The SSRP currently focus on finding alliances between the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which includes climate action. By finding the potential synergies and conflicts, they believe that more goals can be efficiently accomplished at the same time.
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