The Disparity Between Climate Commitments and Clean Energy Spending
Are governments missing a historic opportunity to fund green transitions? How has the pandemic affected the energy system? IISD speaks to Dr Tom Moerenhout to find out. Dr Moerenhout has contributed to IISD’s Geneva-based Global Subsidies Initiative, currently focussed on
5 Reasons the US Should Cut its GHG Emissions in Half by 2030
Climate change already affects millions of Americans, from worsening asthma and other respiratory problems to spurring destructive and costly hurricanes, wildfires, heat waves and other extreme weather. Disadvantaged and marginalized communities often bear the brunt of such devastating climate change
Are Countries Walking the Talk on Cutting Carbon?
In the race against climate change, increasing ambition overtime is necessary to avoid catastrophic warming. However, revised commitments from parties to the Paris Agreement lack two critical components of ambitious climate action: carbon pricing and fossil fuel subsidy reform. Since the
How Do Countries’ New Emissions-reduction Plans Stack Up?
A new UN report finds that countries’ emissions-reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement are falling far short of what’s needed to prevent the most dangerous impacts of climate change. It is imperative that countries that have not yet submitted their plans deliver much
The Solution To Greening Finance? It Lies Within The People
For years the climate debate has been preoccupied with ways to get financial institutions to switch to promote greener, more sustainable business practices that will help protect the wellbeing of the planet and people. But five years on from the
Bridging The Green Gap – The Role Of Central Banks
In my professional life, I am privileged to work with central banks and other financial regulators who recognize the financial stability risks associated with climate change and environmental degradation. From broad strategies to more targeted policies, members of the Alliance
Japan’s Climate Finance Is Not as Green as It Seems
This article, part of our Green Finance Series, is a report about Japan and the country's climate finance. Moody’s Investors Services have investigated 18 industries to establish their level of vulnerability to risk, in terms of how climate change impacts a
Climate Action Must Progress Far Faster to Achieve 1.5 C Goal
Countries agreed to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) and ideally 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) as part of the 2015 Paris Agreement. The latest science shows that emissions will need to drop
The U.S. Has Exited the Paris Agreement. Does it Matter?
The last time there was a major climate treaty, the United States stood on the sidelines. This time, stakes may be higher, but the energy transition (and global cooperation at large) will continue. “When America sneezes, the world catches a cold.” The
Leveraging the Ocean’s Carbon Removal Potential
To meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F), greenhouse gas emissions must reach net-zero by mid-century. Achieving this will not only require reducing existing emissions, but also removing carbon dioxide already in the
Why Climate Neutrality Needs Circularity
“How we make and use products and how we produce food generates almost half of the emissions in our current economic system because the production of goods and infrastructure generates emissions all along value chains,” said Mayor Minna Arve of Turku,
Accelerating the Race to Zero Carbon: Multiple Paths Leading to the Same Destination
One of the toughest parts of fulfilling the Paris Agreement goals is understanding the path to success. What does it take to muster the political will and support to make an ambitious commitment? How can all levels of government move