Purpose

The Paris Agreement and subsequent Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP) have set ambitious targets for net-zero emissions by mid-century. The Nordics have a long history of leadership in decarbonisation, sustainability and innovation, and while there is still much work to be done to achieve net-zero emissions, their current achievements provide valuable insights into effective climate action.

The purpose of this policy brief is to highlight Nordic solutions aligned with the global stocktake (GST) decision, to both support and inspire the Nordic countries and other nations in accelerating action towards 1.5 °C pathways by scaling existing solutions. It’s based upon the main project report which identifies and showcases 13 Nordic climate action initiatives across various sectors. All of these climate action initiatives are aligned with paragraph 28 of the GST decision.

https://unfccc.int/documents/636608

These Nordic success stories have been evaluated for their potential to be scaled up and replicated beyond the Nordic region. We hope that this policy brief can inspire actors across sectors in accelerating global action and encourage greater collaboration towards a more sustainable future, paving the way for the broader adoption of effective climate strategies worldwide. This policy brief is part of a project commissioned by the Nordic Working Group on Climate and Air under the auspices of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The main report can be downloaded here: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2024-550

Global stocktake (GST) decision

Held every five years, the GST is a process to inform Parties to the Paris Agreement on their collective progress against its goals. The first ever GST was completed at the COP 28 UN Climate Change Conference in 2023. As part of the GST decision agreed upon at COP28, Parties recognised that the limiting of global warming to 1.5 °C with no or limited overshoot, requires deep, rapid and sustained reductions of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, reducing emissions by 43 per cent by 2030 from 2019 levels, then by 60 per cent by 2035, and finally reaching net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

The GST decision emphasizes the urgent need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to align with the 1.5 °C target. This applies across key sectors, including energy, industry, transport, agriculture, waste management and others. The decision urges countries to contribute to the following eight climate efforts:

Tripling renewable energy capacity globally and doubling the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements by 2030;
Accelerating efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power;
Accelerating efforts globally towards net zero emission energy systems, utilizing zero- and low carbon fuels well before or by around mid-century;
Transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science;
Accelerating zero- and low-emission technologies, including, inter alia, renewables, nuclear, abatement and removal technologies such as carbon capture and utilization and storage, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors, and low-carbon hydrogen production;
Accelerating and substantially reducing non-carbon-dioxide emissions globally, including in particular methane emissions by 2030;
Accelerating the reduction of emissions from road transport on a range of pathways, including through development of infrastructure and rapid deployment of zero and low-emission vehicles; and
Phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that do not address energy poverty or just transitions, as soon as possible.