Number of the month
#NEFI_number

NEFI number of the month: 800 giga tons – this much CO₂ may still be emitted in order not to miss the targets agreed at the Paris Climate Conference of a maximum global warming of 2°C. At current CO₂ emissions levels of around 50 gigatons per year, this budget will be used up in just 16 years.

The increasing CO₂ concentration caused by anthropogenic activities such as industry, forestry and agriculture can be considered one of the main reasons for global warming due to the greenhouse effect it causes. Combined with the long persistence of the gas in the atmosphere, this results in a calculable upper limit or “budget”, which determines how much CO₂ can still be emitted to limit the warming of our planet.

The framework for this is the maximum warming target of 2°C compared to the reference year 1990 agreed at the Paris Climate Conference. The more CO₂ is emitted, the smaller the CO₂ budget of mankind will be and the faster we will approach the 2°C limit. If we extend the current trend in annual global CO₂ emissions (approx. 50 gigatons per year), the budget will be used up in around 16 years [1]The industrial share of global CO₂ emissions is about 24%, which makes it essential to consider decarbonisation of this sector [2]. Although Austria, due to its small size, is only responsible for a small direct share of the emissions described above. Austria as an industrial and innovative location offers an excellent ground for research and development in this important area. One of the best examples is the revolutionary Linz-Donawitz process of the iron and steel industry, which was developed in Austria and has been used worldwide since the 1950s. Austria, with its strong and traditional positioning as an innovation location for companies in many different industrial sectors, is therefore particularly well suited to meet the challenges of the present and future at the forefront.
NEFI – New Energy for Industry and its partners have committed themselves to play this pioneering role. The network aims to promote the decarbonisation of Austria’s industrial landscape as a showcase region and demonstrate that it is possible to achieve the climate targets by joining forces while safeguarding economic interests and the security of the location. The monthly published #NEFI_number is intended to provide information on what NEFI is doing to reduce CO₂ emissions and thus successfully fall below the 2°C limit.

[1] “Three years to safeguard our climate“ Figueres et al.
[2] https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/167957/umfrage/verteilung-der-co-emissionen-weltweit-nach-bereich/