Blog Posts: decarbonization

Achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement will require decarbonizing the global economy, including heavy industry sectors like cement and steel. Two new papers consider the role and design of low-carbon product standards for cement and steel, which would set an emissions intensity benchmark and allow emissions credits trading within each industry.

Meeting climate goals will require carbon dioxide removal, likely at the billion-tonne scale by midcentury. Direct air capture (DAC) is gaining traction as a promising carbon removal approach, but will require careful consideration of energy, land and water use to inform siting and minimize resource impacts.

The cities and communities responsible for consuming and setting clean energy targets have historically had little influence on their wholesale electricity markets’ policies and operations. That may change with the emerging PJM Cities and Communities Coalition, a growing coalition dedicated to removing and preventing barriers to decarbonization in the PJM territory.

The task of decarbonizing the U.S. economy is too big for any one level of government to tackle alone. The “new climate federalism” model proposes a framework for the federal, state and local governments to work together to address climate change.

Through sector-by-sector evaluation of key trends and drivers, a new report from America's Pledge finds that, despite the unprecedented public health and economic crisis, bottom-up climate action is proving resilient.

COVID-19 has hit the U.S. oil and gas industry hard. Rather than bailing out corporations, the government should prioritize workers and communities.

In the United States, over four-fifths of states are debunking the myth that slashing greenhouse gas emissions comes at the expense of economic growth.

As U.S. cities and counties transition to clean energy for their own operations and communities, many are finding that stakeholders and policies beyond their jurisdictions affect their ability to purchase clean energy. By removing regulatory and legislative obstacles, local governments are creating new pathways to access affordable, clean energy.

Russia recently released a draft long-term strategy for tackling climate change. The proposed plan would have Russia's carbon emissions drop to net zero decades after other major economies.

While very few countries are on track for achieving a zero-carbon energy system by 2050, China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ethiopia and the United Kingdom are further along than many.