The Paris Agreement set a global action plan to limit global warming below 2°C above pre-industrial level, with the aim to significantly reduce the risks linked to climate change by limiting the increase of temperatures to 1.5°C by 2100. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it implies reaching net zero CO2 emissions globally in 2050.
The potential of circular economy
- To reach carbon neutrality in 2050, the carbon footprint of EU citizens must decrease from about 11 tCO2e to 4 tCO2e per inhabitant in 2030;
- According to different sources, the impact of food and material production accounts for 33% to 45% of the European carbon footprint;
- Circular economy has a tremendous potential to mitigate the impact of products, by preventing waste generation, extending the lifetime of products, and closing the loops of materials.
It is possible for European cities and regions to reduce the EU carbon footprint of several key sectors by implementing ambitious, yet feasible actions. These sectors are: food, construction, textiles, electronic and eletrical equipment, plastic.
A call to action
Governments are setting ambitious strategies, but to reach the commitments taken fast and strong actions are necessary at all levels. ACR+ and its members are ready to act at their local level.
Together, they will contribute to the global fight against climate change while taking into account the local carbon footprint and existing dynamics. They will build on their key role as public authorities, mobilising local stakeholders and citizens, to drive waste prevention and management and advance the circular economy throughout their jurisdictions in order to reduce carbon impacts. Their goal?
Reduce the emissions linked with local resource management by 25% by 2025
Toward climate-oriented strategies with the Carbon Metric International
To go beyond weight-based waste measurement a specific tool will be developed: the Carbon Metric International. This will be adapted from the Scottish Carbon Metric, which has been used by Zero Waste Scotland since 2011 to measure the whole life carbon impacts of Scotland’s waste, regardless of where in the world they occur. It includes the emissions from resource extraction and manufacturing of the products that turned into waste. This type of carbon accounting gives a more complete picture of the impacts of products, allowing decision makers to prioritise their efforts for maximum carbon savings.
Join ACR+ in the global fight aganist climate change!
ACR+ members will work together to reach this goal. With the continuous support of ACR+ Secretariat they will benefit from the upcoming Carbon Metric International developed by Zero Waste Scotland by adapting its Scottish Carbon Metric to be used outside Scotland. Participating members will also benefit from the following activities:
- Exchange good practices;
- Conduct cross analysis with annual reports;
- Improve and mainstream the inclusion of carbon consideration in local circular economy policies;
- Benefit from tools and methodologies open to all, with the assistance of ACR+ Secretariat for the collection of data and the analysis of results.
The campaign will run from November 2019 to November 2025. Registrations will be open until October 2020.
If you are interested, please send an email to Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.
Do you want to know more?
For more details, read online the "More circularity, less carbon" manifesto.