The Intergovenmental Panel on Climate Change this month published its special report on what action is required to keep global temperature increases to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. But real demand for change is growing at ground level. Consumers around the world are paying greater attention to the environment and the climate, and making changes to their own lifestyles. Alexis Leroy, the CEO and Founder of Allcot Group, makes the case for bottom-up action.
Dominica: Tax Reform to Boost Climate Resilience
Dominica, a small-island state in the Caribbean, is among the countries most exposed to natural hazards. In response, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has expressed “plans to make Dominica the first climate resilient nation in the world”. This includes through strengthening the resilience of Dominica’s physical infrastructure and natural environment, but also through building greater fiscal resilience, flexibility and ability to cope with climate events and shocks. Read more in David Cal MacWilliam’s post.
The 2018 economics Nobel shows we can’t discuss economics without considering climate change
Nathaniel Keohane, Senior Vice President for Climate Change at the Environmental Defense Fund, emphasizes how, in his words, we can no longer discuss our economic future without considering the enormous costs of climate change. Building off the recent Nobel prize in economics awarded to his former teacher and colleague William Nordhaus, Keohane highlights the costs of climate change, but also the real opportunities a low-carbon economy presents. A case Nordhaus has made for the last quarter century.
Recap: Climate Week Provides Platform to Drive Action in Latin America and the Caribbean
The 12th edition of the Latin America and Caribbean Climate Week, which took place this year in Montevideo, Uruguay from August 20-23, concluded its program with showcasing groundbreaking action underway in the region to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build climate resilience to improve sustainability and readiness to tackle the impacts of climate change.
Steps Toward a Low-Carbon Economy: From Footprints to Forward Estimates of Earnings at Risk
The landmark Paris Agreement to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy marked a sea change in the global fight against climate change. A swelling tide of carbon-limiting regulations has since emerged, shifting the narrative from what once was a largely ethical debate about the sustainability of our planet for future generations, to a material set of risks and opportunities for the global economy and financial markets, today.
Higher Education Leadership on Carbon Pricing
Earlier this month, a new kind of player emerged on carbon pricing: colleges and universities. They are not only implementing carbon prices; they are researching and sharing their work. Casey Pickett provides a recap from the launch of the Toolkit for Internal Carbon Pricing in Higher Education and calls for greater engagement from leaders in higher-education.
Carbon pricing is crucial to save planet
The impacts of the changing climate are becoming increasingly evident, especially for the most vulnerable people in the world. We must limit the carbon and other greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, as outlined in the Paris Agreement. There is no Plan B because, as President Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has said, “There is no Planet B.”
Declaration on Carbon Pricing in the Americas: Building Momentum Among Continents
In the wake of the historic Paris Agreement, new partnerships are emerging around the world to keep the momentum on climate action going — including the Declaration on Carbon Pricing in the Americas. Neydi Cruz, Angela Churie Kallhauge, Dirk Forrister, and Nathaniel Keohane lay out the background to the Declaration and what the partners have achieved since its December 2017 signing.
The future is carbon trading
As the global economy heads towards large scale carbon emission reductions, implementation will be challenging for some and progress may be limited as a result. But as has been the case in all aspects of economic growth over many centuries, trade should be fully utilised to solve these issues and move forward.
