The Paris Agreement bridged the gap between current climate policies and carbon neutrality by the end of the century. In 2016, at COP22 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakech, Portugal committed to being carbon neutral by 2050. Carbon neutrality refers to the balance between anthropogenic emissions and removals by greenhouse gas (GHG) sinks. Achieving zero carbon emissions represents an opportunity as well as a huge challenge, since a successful transition requires an interplay between policies, technology and capital, as well as the effective involvement of the public and private sectors. The aim of this 18-month project is to support Portugal’s transition to carbon neutrality by 2050 through the following work:
– Assessing the macroeconomic impacts and developing scenarios for the Portuguese economy in 2050 in order to establish the most appropriate policies to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality;
– To provide a practical, independent and objective analysis of “alternative, technically and economically viable and socially acceptable” scenarios, by modeling developments in four key sectors (energy, transport, waste, LULUCF and agriculture);
– Assess the role and impact of the transition to a circular economy in decarbonizing the Portuguese economy;
– Define the implications for both the public and private sectors in achieving the national carbon neutrality commitment.

In addition, the project envisages the broad and active involvement and mobilization of all stakeholders from the outset. The approach to stakeholder engagement will focus on assessing policy options and trajectories for the national economy, taking into account stakeholder perspectives and jointly analyzing the implications and opportunities that derive from carbon neutrality. The “Roadmap to carbon neutrality in 2050” project is an initiative of the Portuguese Environmental Fund and is being developed by a consortium led by Get2C.

Find out more at:
www.descarbonizar2050.pt