Regulation and Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases

While most greenhouse gases are not toxic and no pollutants, their increasing concentration in the atmosphere is enhancing the greenhouse effect and causing climate change. Climate change however is a massive threat to all global life-sustaining systems, and it will among other highly damaging consequences probably also create significant health problems. This chapter first explains the natural science basics of the greenhouse effect and its link to the global commercial energy system. Second, it outlines the challenges connected to changing the global energy systems and what changes would be needed to prevent dangerous global warming. Third, the global governance system is presented which has been established at the United Nations since 1992 to address climate change. Finally, the chapter discusses what societal changes would be necessary and enable the “great transition” to a just and sustainable global society, how the current Coronavirus pandemic could be a start to such a transition, and how the recently announced European Green Deal might be a prototype policy on this way.