A Call for Leadership

The report argues that the EU's proposed 20% to 30% emissions reductions by 2020 are inadequate to maintain a 2ºC warming limit and fail to address the global inequality of the climate crisis. Using the Greenhouse Development Rights (GDRs) framework—which calculates obligations based on a 'Responsibility and Capacity Index' relative to a development threshold—the authors find that the EU's fair share of the global mitigation requirement is approximately 23%, amounting to roughly 850 MtC by 2020. This obligation is described as a 'two-fold obligation' requiring both deep domestic reductions and significant international investment in the South. The authors contend that the EU must provide courageous leadership by unilaterally committing to its proper share of the global burden to break the North-South negotiating impasse ahead of the Copenhagen summit.

• The European Union's proposed emissions reduction targets of 20% (default) or 30% (under an international agreement) below 1990 levels are insufficient to meet the 2ºC target and fall far short of its obligations under the GDRs framework.
• Under the GDRs framework, the EU's share of the global total mitigation requirement is approximately 23%, which equals roughly 850 MtC by 2020.
• Wealthy regions like the EU have a 'two-fold obligation' consisting of achieving deep domestic emissions reductions and providing financial and technological support for international reductions in developing countries.
• The GDRs framework defines a 'development threshold'—set at $20 per person per day (PPP adjusted)—below which individuals are exempt from the costs of climate stabilization to prioritize their right to development.
• The 'Responsibility and Capacity Index' (RCI) determines national obligations by combining cumulative emissions (responsibility) and income above the development threshold (capacity), accounting for intra-national wealth disparities.
• A 2ºC emergency stabilization pathway requires global emissions to peak before 2015 and decline to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050, creating a 'South's dilemma' where development needs conflict with limited remaining carbon budgets.
• The authors argue that the international impasse in climate negotiations can only be broken if the North, specifically the EU, takes a bold first step by unilaterally committing to its fair share of the global burden.
• The EU's internal burden-sharing proposal, which provides more generous targets for Member States with lower per capita incomes, is praised for introducing equity but criticized for lacking overall ambition and transparency.

APA

Kartha, S., Athanasiou, T., Baer, P., & Kemp-Benedict, E. (n.d.). A Call for Leadership. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/acallforleadership.pdf

Chicago

Kartha, Sivan, Tom Athanasiou, Paul Baer, and Eric Kemp-Benedict. A Call for Leadership. Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/acallforleadership.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kartha |first1=Sivan |last2=Athanasiou |first2=Tom |last3=Baer |first3=Paul |last4=Kemp-Benedict |first4=Eric |title=A Call for Leadership |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/acallforleadership.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{karthandcall, author = {Kartha, Sivan and Athanasiou, Tom and Baer, Paul and Kemp-Benedict, Eric}, title = {{A Call for Leadership}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/acallforleadership.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }