Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) Submission to the Talanoa Dialogue of the UNFCCC

The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) submitted this document as a third-party submission to the Talanoa Dialogue of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This submission uses climate-related research findings from the Institute itself, as well as member organisations of the Low-Carbon Society Research Network (LCS-RNet). The aim of this submission is to make a case for an accelerated transition to a low-carbon society, backed by the latest research findings in climate policy and science.

This paper follows the spirit of the Talanoa Dialogue, by asking three main questions: where are we? Where do we want to go? And how do we get there? Studies show that the low-carbon transition, enshrined in the Paris Agreement, is still not happening at the desired pace and scale, notably due to a lack of financing for green technologies and processes. Nonetheless, there is reason for cautious optimism, as most scenario modelling research seem to indicate that creating a decarbonised society remains technically feasible within the required time frame. However, in order to achieve this, immediate and ambitious actions should be taken. This submission concludes by emphasizing the importance of key policy instruments that can facilitate this low-carbon transition.