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]
Ask almost anyone about the main national priorities of the US, and you’ll probably hear “democracy” and “continuing economic growth.” You might also hear “security concerns,” especially since the rise of terrorism after 9/11. But from now on you’ll hear a lot more about a fourth target. “Climate change.” Last … [continued]
Australia’s clean energy and climate policy (or lack thereof) has been brought back back into international focus again these last few weeks, as the country’s politicians continue to bicker over the Renewable Energy Target. Such political uncertainty has also led several major UN nations to present Australia with questions to … [continued]
Japanese media reported on Thursday that the nation is studying a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by around 20% by 2030. Sources differ about the base year (2005 or 2013). From this informally rendered pledge—the first time Japan has mentioned a number—the nation may proceed to file an Intended Nationally … [continued]
So who’s left on the villains list — the roster of top national polluters in the developed world who have not yet made their contributions? For various reasons, Japan, Canada, Australia, South Korea, and South Africa have missed their INDC deadlines. Franz Perrez, the Swiss climate representative, told the Sydney … [continued]
The Guardian Media Group, publisher of the award-winning newspapers Guardian and Observer, has announced that it will sell off all fossil fuel assets in its £800 million investment portfolio. Neil Berkett, Chairman of the Guardian Media Group, justified the decision citing financial and ethical reasons. The share of fossil fuel assets … [continued]
Picking up where we left off yesterday, the nations that were actually expected to meet this week’s INDC deadline all fall into the “developed” category. I use quotation marks to indicate the fuzzy nature of that concept. A more appropriate term might be “industrialized,” since the world’s concept of what’s developed and … [continued]
It’s Day 1 after the soft March 31 deadline the United Nations set in Lima for developed nations to submit official plans (INDCs) for their individual efforts to combat climate change. Remember what’s new about these numbers: they represent the world’s first bottom-up estimates, determined by the emitting countries themselves … [continued]
Despite objections to the contrary from those beholden to fossil fuels, the financial benefit and ethical motivation behind the divestment of fossil fuel investments is not likely to slow any time soon — if ever. A Global Initiative The fossil fuel divestment movement has exploded in popularity over the last … [continued]
It doesn’t mean we can all breathe a sigh of relief about climate change, but last week over 6,500 people, including 2,800 reps of 187 governments, significantly redefined a global approach to regional and world disasters. Following the recent UN climate meeting pattern of late nights and a lengthy (30-hour) bargaining session … [continued]
