On November 8, 2006 WRI released Target: Intensity: An Analysis of Greenhouse Gas Intensity Targets at the annual Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Kenya. Read the WRI COP-12 blog for the latest news there.
Target: Intensity analyzes the use of intensity targets as a tool for nations seeking to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Greenhouse gas intensity targets are policies that specify emissions reductions relative to productivity or economic output. For instance, one common way of expressing an intensity target is to base it on tons CO2/million dollars GDP. By contrast, emissions caps specify reductions measured in metric tons, relative to a historical baseline.
Figure A graphs the intensity target the U.S. adopted in 2002. It shows that targets like those in the U.S. show how intensity can disguise weak targets as being strong. Nonetheless, intensity targets can lead to significant reductions as long as they are stringent enough to outpace economic growth.
The report concludes that, despite some early misgivings, target intensities that are properly set and enforced can be a better option for some countries than absolute targets in setting climate policy.
