1.2.3 Issues related to the implementation of Article 2

Decisions made in relation to Article 2 will determine the level of climate change that is set as the goal for policy and have fundamental implications for emission reduction pathways, the feasibility, timing and scale of adaptation required and the magnitude of unavoidable losses. The emission pathways which correspond to different GHG or radiative forcing stabilization levels and consequential global warming are reviewed in Chapter 3 (see Tables 3.9 and 3.10). The potential consequences of two hypothetical limits can provide an indication of the differing scales of mitigation action that depend on Article 2 decisions: A 2ºC above pre-industrial limit on global warming would implies that emissions peak within the next decade and be reduced to less than 50% of the current level by 2050^[3]; a 4ºC limit would imply that emissions may not have to peak until well after the middle of the century and could still be well above 2000 levels in 2100. In relation to the first hypothetical limt, the latter would have higher levels of adaptation costs and unavoidable losses, but carry lower mitigation costs.

Issues related to the mitigation, adaptation and sustainable development aspects of the implementation of Article 2 thus include, among others, the linkages between sustainable development and the adverse effects climate change, the need for equity and cooperation and the recognition of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities as well as the precautionary principle (see Section 1.4.1 for more detail on relevant UNFCCC Articles that frame these issues). In this context, risk management issues which take into account several key aspects of the climate change problem, such as inertia, irreversibility, the risk of abrupt or catastrophic changes and uncertainty, are introduced in this section and discussed in more detail in Chapters 2, 3 and 11.