Statement from Dan Lashof, WRI United States Director, in response to the introduction of a new $3 trillion recovery package by the United States House of Representatives.
Climate, Energy & Transport
The COVID-19 crisis has shown that effective public transport is vital to keeping cities running. Over the long term, public transport is one investment that can create jobs quickly while reducing carbon emissions, making roads safer and improving people’s access to their work and other opportunities.
Since the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change, adopted in 2015 and signed by 175 countries on Earth Day the following year, global momentum to tackle the climate emergency has been building. But progress hasn't been nearly fast enough.
To manage the twin threats of the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, building resilience against both is imperative and urgent. We are going to have to multitask on this one, as delay will cost lives and livelihoods.
The United Nations Framework on Climate Change, together with the UK government, which is serving as the COP26 Presidency, announced that it will be postponing the summit due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The exact date will be determined following consultation with parties.Following is a statement from Andrew Steer, President & CEO, World Resources Institute.
Japan's newly announced climate plan is no stronger than the one it submitted five years ago. It fails to grasp the seriousness of climate impacts for Japan or the significant economic opportunities available by pursuing a low-carbon future.
The COVID-19 pandemic lays bare two facets of our new reality: we are more interconnected than ever, and cities are at the front lines of this crisis and will be at the front lines of any similarly globalized crisis in the future. Cities are already in adaptation mode.
In this critical year for climate action, more than 800 companies have committed to set science-based targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. This is a hopeful sign, but not enough. Financial institutions are the vital link to enable the system-wide change we need.
On the road from coal to renewable energy, China has a complex challenge to face: it must satisfy rising energy demand while reducing carbon emissions and sustainably managing water use without hobbling the power and agriculture sectors or the overall economy. Water stress adds to the challenge, because 66.5% of China's coal-fired power plants are in areas where water is scarce.
To prevent the most dangerous impacts of climate change, greenhouse gas emissions will have to reach net zero by 2050. That will require both deep cuts in emissions and the removal of remaining emissions directly from the atmosphere. Making that happen will take concerted U.S. innovation akin to a moonshot. In this case, it's a CarbonShot.