Raising the ambition

The report argues that a high ambition climate agreement, aiming to limit global warming to 2°C by 2100, is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. While physical climate impacts are projected to be similar across scenarios until 2030, a high ambition deal provides the policy framework, international cooperation, and finance necessary to drive green growth and reduce poverty. Conversely, a low ambition agreement (3-5°C warming) is linked to slower economic growth, higher inequality, and a significantly greater risk of failing to meet SDGs related to poverty, inequality, and global partnerships.

• A high ambition climate agreement aiming to limit global warming to 2°C by 2100 is critical for the best chance of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, particularly those concerning poverty (SDG 1), inequality (SDG 10), climate change (SDG 13), and global partnerships (SDG 17).
• The physical impacts of climate change, such as weather-related disasters, are projected to be broadly similar for both high and low ambition scenarios until 2030, with the climate agreement's impact on warming and disaster frequency becoming significant only after that period.
• A high ambition agreement is projected to lead to significantly lower poverty levels by 2030 compared to a low ambition agreement. In Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, poverty levels under a low ambition scenario are estimated to be 80-140% higher than under a high ambition scenario.
• Investment in key sectors is expected to be higher under a high ambition agreement, specifically in energy (US$758 billion/year), buildings and industry (US$944 billion/year), and forestry (US$104 billion/year), compared to the low ambition scenario.
• The transition to non-fossil energy by 2030 is projected to reach approximately 21% under a high ambition scenario, whereas a low ambition scenario results in only a 12% increase in non-fossil energy due to continued fossil fuel dependency.
• Adaptation costs for developing countries are expected to rise sharply after 2030 under a low ambition agreement, reaching an estimated US$66 billion per year by 2050, compared to US$46 billion per year under a high ambition agreement.

APA

Ansuategi, A., Greño, P., Houlden, V., Markandya, A., Onofri, L., Tsarouchi, G., & Walmsley, N. (2014). Raising the ambition. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Raising-the-ambition-How-the-global-climate-agreement-can-affect-the-achievement-of-the-Sustainable-Development-Goals.pdf

Chicago

Ansuategi, A., P. Greño, V. Houlden, A. Markandya, L. Onofri, G. Tsarouchi, and N. Walmsley. Raising the ambition. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2014. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Raising-the-ambition-How-the-global-climate-agreement-can-affect-the-achievement-of-the-Sustainable-Development-Goals.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{ansuategi2014raising, author = {Ansuategi, A. and Greño, P. and Houlden, V. and Markandya, A. and Onofri, L. and Tsarouchi, G. and Walmsley, N.}, title = {{Raising the ambition}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2014}, month = nov, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/Raising-the-ambition-How-the-global-climate-agreement-can-affect-the-achievement-of-the-Sustainable-Development-Goals.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }