The Paris agreement was a diplomatic triumph, but there is a distinct disconnect between the ambition and the action required to achieve that goal, writes Tim Kruger, James Martin Fellow, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford. Kruger notes that to stabilise the climate, emissions need to fall to zero and we are nowhere close to that. In fact, we are almost certain to overshoot, which means that emissions will have to go negative at some … [Read more...]
Let’s not kid ourselves: curbing carbon and stopping smog are not the same
There is a widespread belief that stopping smog will also reduce carbon emissions, or vice versa, that reducing carbon emissions will reduce air pollution. But according to Christopher Sellers, professor of history at Stony Brook University in the US, this is a mistake. Experience in the US shows that taming air pollution actually made it possible to burn more carbon. … [Read more...]
The hidden trigger of Paris: why the climate battle will now be taken to the courts
What will happen if the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement are not achieved? Most people assume that since the agreement is non-binding, failure to reach the targets will necessitate new political action, writes Lucas Bergkamp, Partner at the Brussels-based law firm Hunton & Williams LL.P. But according to Bergkamp, what is likely to happen is that climate activists will instead turn to the judiciary to enforce the treaty. This, he … [Read more...]
What the EU did in Paris – and what it should do next
A “lifeline” for the planet that “will steer the world towards a global clean energy transition”, was how European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker hailed the Paris agreement. He also claimed it to be “a success for the European Union” itself. But the EU must now demonstrate that aspiration can be turned into achievement through action rather than words, writes Professor Sam Adelman of the University of Warwick. … [Read more...]
Paris climate deal: not a simple end to fossil fuels
The historic agreement on climate change reached in Paris a week ago is not a simple death knell for fossil fuels. Rather, it puts renewed focus on carbon capture and storage, throws a gauntlet down to the transport sector, and raises formidable governance as well as cost challenges for developing and developed countries alike. This is in addition to necessitating changes to electricity market design and grid infrastructure to accommodate more … [Read more...]
Why the Paris climate deal is a win for energy companies
The historic climate deal signed in Paris on 12 December 2015 has been embraced by many campaigners as a turning point in the fight against climate change. But energy companies should also be rejoicing. The unanimously adopted agreement provides the certainty of a long-term goal with the flexibility of carbon markets, takes a significant step towards creating a global level playing field, and promises billions in new subsidies to drive business … [Read more...]
Historic Paris climate pact – experts react
After two weeks of negotiations in Paris, the world’s nations have reached a global deal to tackle climate change (read the text here). The agreement commits 196 countries to help limit global warming to “well below 2℃ above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5℃”. In this article, experts associated with The Conversation react to the agreement. … [Read more...]
What Paris means for the energy sector: start of a whole new clean economy
As the UN climate talks in Paris are nearing completion, the implications for the energy sector are becoming clear. The 186 national action plans that will form the basis of an agreement really amount to clean energy investment plans, observers say. “A whole new economy will be created.” What this means for fossil fuels is uncertain. Although the term decarbonisation has been replaced by a much vaguer “emissions neutrality”, few believe that a 2 … [Read more...]
COP21: a deal is in the making
As we enter the second week of the world’s make-or-break UN climate conference, the elements of a new global climate agreement are falling into place. It will provide energy companies the world over with the certainty of a long-term climate goal and of a push from governments to make them pay for their greenhouse gas emissions. But it will also recognise that the world has changed since the Kyoto Protocol and that emerging economies like China … [Read more...]
Apocalypse when?
Global warming is a slow-motion apocalypse that might end civilization as we know it, writes author Tom Engelhardt of Tomdispatch.com. According to Engelhardt, to prevent such an outcome, “successful negotiations in Paris can only be the start of something far more sweeping when it comes to the forms of energy we use and how we live on this planet” . … [Read more...]
Why corporate sustainability won’t solve climate change
In the run-up to the much-anticipated COP21 international climate summit in Paris, business leaders worldwide have shown substantial support for action on greenhouse gases, writes David L. Levy, Director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Massachusetts Boston. But according to Levy, voluntary corporate efforts won’t solve the climate problem. We need massive structural changes in our energy and transportation systems. … [Read more...]
Carbon Tracker: fossil fuel companies risk wasting up to $2.2 trillion in the next decade
Carbon Tracker Initiative (CTI), the NGO that invented the concept of “stranded assets” (or “the carbon bubble”) has today published a new report warning that, as a result of climate policies, “no new coal will be needed, oil demand will peak around 2020 and growth in gas will disappoint industry expectations”. According to CTI, over $2 trillion of new and existing investment is in danger of being wasted over the coming decade if governments and … [Read more...]
The future of coal: the long comedown
A new report by a consortium of 14 leading research institutions from Europe, the US, Japan, China, India, and Brazil has investigated future energy sector trends, in part based on the climate plans submitted by countries to the UNFCCC before the Paris climate summit, but also based on other drivers such as economic development and local air pollution. One of the key takeaways: the global coal sector is faced with a bleak future, writes Thomas … [Read more...]
Interview Hoesung Lee, new Chairman IPCC: “There is enormous value in carbon capture and storage”
The new chairman of the IPCC, Hoesung Lee, wants to interact more with the energy industry. “We are prepared to broaden our scope of collaboration”, he says, in an exclusive interview with World Energy Focus, the magazine of the World Energy Council produced by Energy Post. Lee says “industry, the energy sector in particular, needs to be part of the solution to climate change”. He sees “enormous value” in “large-scale” use of carbon capture and … [Read more...]
The biggest sticking point in Paris: money
In the run-up to the Paris climate change conference, there is much focus on countries’ voluntary commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (their so-called Intended Nationally Determined Contributions). But much less attention is paid to a part of the negotiations that is just as important, writes Henrik Selin of Boston University: how to finance the efforts of developing countries at mitigation and adaptation. … [Read more...]
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