Can Climate Change the IMF?
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) annually assesses the economic health of its 190 member countries, making recommendations to address macroeconomic and financial challenges through surveillance processes referred to as Article IV surveillance. On May 25, the IMF — charged with securing economic stability
How Climate Change Affects Health and How Countries Can Respond
Since early 2020, the world’s attention has been on the global coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic continues to put massive stress on existing health systems, exposing their fault lines. As nations think about how to make health systems more resilient to
Pressing Questions About Ecosystem Restoration, Answered
The world’s ecosystems are under threat. Fires are turning biodiverse forests in California and wetlands in Argentina and Brazil into charred landscapes. The ocean is getting warmer and more acidic, bleaching colorful, fish-filled coral reefs across the Seychelles. The abuse of the soil, exacerbated by overuse of
As Cities Grow Across Africa, They Must Plan for Water Security
Here’s a startling figure: 1.5 billion people will live in African cities by 2050, more than double the number today. African cities — including unplanned urban areas and informal settlements — are already facing staggering challenges: poverty, the need for
How to Make Agriculture Carbon-neutral: Lessons from Denmark
Agriculture and related land-use change generate one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Producing the food the world will likely need by 2050 using today’s technologies would triple GHG emissions while destroying most of the planet’s remaining tropical and
4 Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution
A whopping 8 million tons of plastic winds up in the ocean each year, endangering wildlife and polluting ecosystems. This number is expected to grow — a recent report from Pew Charitable Trust suggests that without improvements to waste management, 90 million tons of
Trade Associations Speak on Carbon Pricing. Will Action Follow?
Carbon pricing has had broad business support for over a decade. As a market-based mechanism, this is often the private sector’s preferred approach in addressing climate change. Consequently, carbon pricing is a convenient mechanism to measure trade association support for
A Just Transition to a Zero-carbon World Is Possible. Here’s How.
The global shift to a green economy could create 18 million jobs, with the potential to provide high-quality employment and livelihoods around the world. But what about the people and communities whose livelihoods, right now, depend on the fossil fuel or other
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
Brazil’s Forests Are Being Restored — Now We Can See Where
We often hear how Brazil’s deforestation crisis threatens its major ecosystems and the people who live in them. That’s an undeniable truth. But, even as the country lost 2.7 million hectares (6.6 million acres) of tree cover in 2019 alone, regenerating forests
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
Unpacking the US CLEAN Future Act
U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, together with subcommittee chairs Bobby Rush and Paul Tonko, introduced the CLEAN Future Act on March 2, 2021. While numerous climate bills are introduced in each Congress, this proposal deserves