Climatologists: zero emissions by 2050, it’s too late

Leading climatologists warn that 2050 is too late to reduce CO2 emissions to virtually zero. The year mentioned in the European Green Deal and the Dutch climate law should actually be brought forward by ten years, to 2040 at the latest, scientists involved in the Climate Expert Group told NOS. ‘UN, IPCC.

In two weeks, a global climate conference will kick off in Glasgow, where stricter climate agreements are to be reached. The scientific basis for this is formed by the reports of the IPCC. The current climate targets for the Netherlands and the EU do not limit warming to 1.5 degrees, scientists say.

This is due to the distinction between rich and poor countries. Rich countries, like the Netherlands and other EU member states, will need to lead the way more clearly, according to IPCC members Heleen de Coninck and Maarten van Aalst. This was agreed internationally a long time ago, and furthermore, according to them, there is no alternative.

Much more CO2 from rich countries

“First, because we have a historical responsibility, we have already emitted much more CO2 than the average in the past”, explains Van Aalst, professor at TU Twente and director of the International Climate Center of the Red Cross . His colleague Heleen de Coninck, professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology: “The CO2 that rich countries emitted in the past is still in the air and still doing its job of warming.

According to Van Aalst, a second reason is that poor countries will wait for rich countries anyway. “If we don’t show it, why should they do it. So they will always be slightly behind us. If we want to push them to reach zero in the world by 2050, we have to be the first to show that we can. . “