While everyone shares the risk of climate changing, one of the most vulnerable groups on earth is the people who live in the small islands of our oceans. Their low elevation and small size make them especially vulnerable to rising sea levels; their fragile ecosystems are easily destroyed. Three international … [continued]
The top seven industrialized countries (Group of Seven, or G7)—whose carbon dioxide emissions total 25% of the world’s output—decided at a meeting in Germany today to phase out their use of fossil fuels by the end of this century. It’s a breakthrough move on climate change and a strong signal … [continued]
A ten-day meeting to hone the draft text of the Paris 2015 universal climate agreement has begun in Bonn, Germany. Presidents of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Lima COP20 (Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, the deft and diplomatic Environment Minister of Peru) and the upcoming Paris COP21 meetings (Laurent Fabius, who is … [continued]
Six of the world’s major oil and gas companies have called for national or regional carbon pricing. They also propose that governments and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change work on creating “clear, stable, ambitious policy frameworks that could eventually connect national systems.” These actions would reduce global … [continued]
As close observers have long suspected, governments historically underestimate the cost subsidies for fossil fuel exploration, development, and production. By far. The International Monetary Fund has just calculated far in a study distributed by its Fiscal Affairs department: How Large Are Global Energy Subsidies? (IMF working paper 15/105). Here’s IMF’s basic … [continued]
Originally published on Cost of Solar. Memorial Day reminds Americans of the millions who have served in uniform over the years. Almost everyone knows a soldier, past or present. Education, health care, home loans, and other benefits accrue as each military employee serves out his or her term. But did … [continued]
The US, Canada, and Mexico have just mirrored the European Union in seeking a continent-wide approach to North American energy and related climate change. According to Canadian Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford, “The partnership does not include binding targets, but will enhance cooperation and integrate more climate change-related policies into energy … [continued]
On Friday, climate change efforts across the world reached a very important milestone: the release of $5 billion to begin the work of the Green Climate Fund, which will become the main financial operator of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Initial climate financing disproportionately favored middle-income developed countries and … [continued]
The Sustainable Energy for All initiative held its second annual Forum in the UN General Assembly Hall last week. SE4All is a multi-stakeholder partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, banks, and other international institutions aiming to meet three interlinked goals by 2030: Ensuring universal access to modern energy services; Doubling … [continued]
Over 2,000 global business leaders, political leaders, and senior climate negotiators at the Business & Climate Summit pledged this week to lead a global transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy. The main question is “who will lead?” Policymakers call for business leadership, and business leaders call for well-founded policy. The … [continued]
