Supporting Material

Definition of terms

Biome:

A biome is a large area that is characterized by specific vegetation, climate and wildlife. Examples of terrestrial biomes are forests or grasslands. Lakes or rivers are examples of freshwater biomes, and coral reefs or estuaries are examples of marine biomes.

Carbon footprint:

A carbon footprint of a household (alternately called household CO2 emissions) is defined as GHG emissions (expressed as CO2 equivalent (see definition below)) directly emitted and indirectly induced due to household consumption.

Carbon pricing:

Carbon pricing refers to setting an economic price on emitting or storing a quantity of CO2 or other greenhouse gases. It is typically measured in USD/tonne CO2eq (or other currency). This refers to US Dollars per 1 tonne of a CO2 equivalent (see definition below).

Consumption corridors:

Consumption corridors are a concept used to define the space between the minimally (fulfilling basic needs) and maximally (carbon budget and other factors) acceptable consumption, relative to the 1.5C target, within which individuals may choose their lifestyle.

CO2eq:

A CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) is used to compare the radiative forcing (see definition below) of different greenhouse gases. It is calculated from the global warming potential (GWP), which is the heat absorbed by a greenhouse gas equivalent to a multiple of the heat absorbed by the same mass of CO2. The CO2eq refers to the amount of CO2 that warms the Earth as much as a certain amount of a greenhouse gas (GWP times amount of gas) over a given time period. CO2 has a GWP of 1.

Fire regime:

A fire regime is the pattern, frequency and intensity of the bushfires and wildfires that prevail in an area over long periods of time.

Global carbon budget:

The (remaining) global carbon budget sets the limit on cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) to not exceed a given global temperature increase with a specific probability. From 2020 onwards the global carbon budget is currently estimated to be only 460 GtCO2 to achieve the 1.5°C target.

GtCO2 :

Gigatons (Gt) is a unit of mass. One gigaton [1] of CO2 corresponds to one billion tonnes of CO2 (equal to about 200 million elephants).

NDCs:

National Determined Contributions. Citing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) website: “Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) are at the heart of the Paris Agreement and the achievement of these long-term goals. NDCs embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.”

Radiative forcing:

The immediate effect of a greenhouse gas, other pollutant or other factor on the radiation balance of Earth is called radiative forcing. It could be warming, such as the absorption of heat radiation by methane, or cooling, as with aerosols that influence the formation of clouds.

SDGs:

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by the United Nations member states in 2015, intend to provide a “blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future”.

The 1.5°C target:

The Paris Agreement of 2015 set the limit for long-term global warming above pre-industrial levels to well below 2°C, aiming at 1.5°C.

Tipping element:

Tipping elements are components of the climate system that face the risk of undergoing dramatic and non-linear transitions at varying timescales, often without a chance to turn back to normal for a long time.

Value of a statistical life: The value of a statistical life (VSL) is the local tradeoff rate (in monetary terms) between fatality risk and money. VSL serves as both a measure of the population’s willingness to pay for risk reduction and the marginal cost of enhancing safety. It’s noteworthy that estimates of VSL vary greatly across countries and that it is commonly used by transport planners.

References

Except when specifically stated otherwise, all statements in this report refer to the article:

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Acknowledgements

The making of this report has been led by Future Earth, The Earth League and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). We also gratefully acknowledge support from Arizona State University (ASU), GERICS Climate Service Center Germany (an institution of Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon), Earth System Governance Project (ESG Project), Integrated Land Ecosystem-Atmosphere Processes Study (iLEAPS), Global Carbon Project (GCP), Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Future Earth’s Knowledge-Action Networks for a) Health, b) Systems of Sustainable Consumption and Production, and c) Urban.

We acknowledge the work of the following individuals in their respective capacities:

Editorial Board

Mercedes Bustamante, University of Brasilia, Brazil

Deliang Chen, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Helen Cleugh, WCRP Joint Scientific Committee (JSC) & Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia

Fatima Denton, United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa, Ghana

Kristie Ebi, Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE), University of Washington, USA

Eleanor Fisher, The Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden

Huang-Hsiung Hsu, Anthropogenic Climate Change Center, Research Center for Environmental Changes, Academia Sinica, Taipei

Johan Rockström, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany

Lizzie Sayer, International Science Council, France

Peter Schlosser, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, USA

Detlef B. Stammer, Centrum für Erdsystemforschung und Nachhaltigkeit (CEN), University of Hamburg, Germany

Editor-coordinators

Clea Edwards, the Earth League & Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, USA

Helmke Hepach, the Earth League & Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Hamburg, Germany

Erik Pihl, Future Earth Global Secretariat, Sweden

Chapter lead authors, coordinators

Insight 1:

H. Damon Matthews, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada

Joeri Rogelj, Imperial College London, UK; International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria

Aaron Redman, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, USA

Insight 2:

Nadine Mengis, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany

Sophie Hebden, Future Earth Global Secretariat, Sweden

Insight 3:

Rachael Nolan, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Australia

Helmke Hepach, Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Germany

Insight 4:

Jonathan F. Donges, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany; Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Sweden

Maria A. Martin, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany

Insight 5:

Milena Büchs, University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment, UK

Clea Edwards, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, USA

Insight 6:

Sylvia Lorek, Sustainable Europe Research Institute and ‘ZOE Institute for Future-Fit economies, Germany

Aaron Redman, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, USA

Insight 7:

Jessica F. Green, University of Toronto, Canada

Erik Pihl, Future Earth Global Secretariat, Sweden

Insight 8:

Sabine Fuss, Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC), Germany; Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany

Juliana Gärtner, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany

Insight 9:

Heike Lotze, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada

Helmke Hepach, Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Germany

Insight 10:

Kathryn Bowen, Melbourne Climate Futures, Melbourne Law School, Victoria, Australia; Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Giles Sioen, Future Earth Global Secretariat, Japan; National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan

Contributing authors

Olga Alcaraz Sedra, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

Ana Bastos, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Germany

Nico Bauer, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany

Christoph Bertram, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany

Thorsten Blenckner, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Sweden

Paulo M. Brando, University of California, USA

Tanya Brodie Rudolph, South Africa Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST), University of Stellenbosch, South Africa

Purnamita Dasgupta, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Nepal

Felix Kwabena Donkor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Geography, University of Education-Winneba, Ghana

Hongbo Duan, School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

Carlos M. Duarte, Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), and Computational Biosciences Research Center (CBRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Anja Engel, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany

Andrew Gettelman, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), USA

Cécile A.J. Girardin, University of Oxford, UK

Nicholas R. Golledge, Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Michael R. Grose, CSIRO, Australia

Masahiro Hashizume, University of Tokyo, Japan

Marina Hirota, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Satoshi Kojima, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan

Sharachchandra Lele, Centre for Environment & Development, ATREE, Bengaluru, India

Darren McCauley, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, Netherlands

Desta Mebratu, South Africa Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST), University of Stellenbosch; Addis Ababa University Institute of Technology, Ethiopia

Stefan Rahmstorf, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany

Colleen E. Reid, University of Colorado Boulder, USA

Marielle Saunois, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement, LSCE-IPSL (CEA-CNRS-UVSQ), Université Paris-Saclay, France

Joachim H. Spangenberg, Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI) Germany, Cologne, Germany

Thomas N.S. Sterner, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Nicola Stevens, University of Oxford, UK

Kirsten Thonicke, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany

Hanqin Tian, International Center for Climate and Global Change Research, School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, USA

Ricarda Winkelmann, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany; University of Potsdam, Germany

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