More Than 100 States & Regions Taking “Significant Action” On Climate Change

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A new report shows that more than 100 state and regional governments worldwide are taking “significant action” in addressing climate change and setting short-term emissions reduction targets in line with a 2-degree world.

In a new report published this week by The Climate Group and CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project) entitled Global States and Regions Annual Disclosurethe authors revealed that more than 100 state and regional governments globally are taking significant action on climate change. Specifically, in 2017, sub-national governments took 80% more climate actions across ten sectors — including buildings, energy, transport, and land use. Further, the report identified that, on average, the ambition of states and regions’ 2020 targets exceed that of their national counterparts.

Despite the good news that states and regions are on track to meet their 2020 targets and limit global temperature rise to below two degrees by 2020, the same cannot be said for 2050, which means that states and regions must set ever-more ambitious emissions reduction targets.

Projected Disclosure Greenhouse Gas Emissions Compared To IEA Scenarios

2DS = 2 Degrees Scenario, B2DS = Below 2 Degrees Scenario

On average — according to The States and Regions Climate Action Trackerdeveloped by CDP and The Climate Group in partnership with Climate-KIC — there was an 8.5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the state and regional governments’ base years.

Already, six sub-national governments — Lombardy, Catalonia, Carinthia, Wallonia, Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, and Madeira — have already surpassed their 2020 targets, while four other governments — Scotland, Hesse, Blekinge, and Lower Austria — are more than 80% on their way towards their 2020 targets.

“The 2017 Annual Disclosure Update shows that states and regions are now moving into the implementation phase of the Paris Agreement, and are key players in its delivery,” said Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group. “Knowing what other governments have done reinforces the case for action, with visible progress being made against headline commitments and targets. This proves that we can continue to raise ambition and drive the world to an under 2 degrees Celsius economy without delay.”

“This momentum is both driving up standards of climate leadership and putting transparency and accountability at the heart of government environmental action,” added Paul Simpson, CEO, CDP . “Now we need to see longer-term targets from states and regions to ensure their ambition is aligned with limiting global warming to well-below 2 degrees.”


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Joshua S Hill

I'm a Christian, a nerd, a geek, and I believe that we're pretty quickly directing planet-Earth into hell in a handbasket! I also write for Fantasy Book Review (.co.uk), and can be found writing articles for a variety of other sites. Check me out at about.me for more.

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