By Brad Plumer

Published Oct. 26, 2021Updated Oct. 27, 2021

WASHINGTON — The latest plans by the nations of the world to tackle climate change over the next decade fall far short of what’s needed to avert a dangerous rise in global temperatures, according to a United Nations report released Tuesday.

In the run-up to a major U.N. climate summit in Glasgow next week, a number of governments have updated their pledges under the Paris climate agreement to do more to curb their planet-warming emissions between now and 2030. They include Argentina, Britain, Canada, the European Union, South Africa and the United States.

But those new pledges, the report found, would collectively produce just one-seventh of the additional emissions cuts needed this decade to help limit total global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels. That’s the threshold beyond which scientists say the dangers of global warming — such as deadly heat waves, water shortages, crop failures and ecosystem collapse — grow immensely. (The world has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius since preindustrial times.)

And that assumes every country actually follows through on its promises. The report found that many governments still haven’t put in place policies or laws to achieve their stated near-term goals.

“The world has to wake up to the imminent peril we face as a species,” Inger Andersen, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, said in a statement. “To stand a chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, we have eight years to almost halve greenhouse gas emissions: eight years to make the plans, put in place the policies, implement them and ultimately deliver the cuts. The clock is ticking loudly.”

The report estimates that even if countries achieve their newest round of near-term climate promises, known as Nationally Determined Contributions, the world would be on track to warm roughly 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100, compared with preindustrial levels. That broadly aligns with what outside analyses have found.

That much warming would drastically increase the risk of heat waves, droughts, flooding and wildfires across the globe in the years to come, scientists have warned. The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres recently called such an outcome “catastrophic.”

In Glasgow, world leaders are expected to discuss accelerating efforts to tackle climate change. But the latest analysis suggests that progress so far has been uneven.

In 2015, nearly 200 nations signed the Paris climate agreement, which for the first time required every country to submit a plan for curbing its planet-warming emissions. Countries were free to set their own goals, and the initial round of pledges was vastly inadequate to achieve the agreement’s stated goal of keeping global warming “well below” 2 degrees and potentially as low as 1.5 degrees.

The treaty’s architects hoped that, over time, nations would strengthen their climate pledges as momentum for action grew. Ahead of Glasgow, the United Nations asked for a fresh round of more ambitious national plans that stretch out to at least 2030.

Some countries have offered to do more. President Biden, for instance, pledged that the United States would cut its greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, roughly double its previous goal. Britain, Canada, Japan and the European Union have also vowed to cut emissions more deeply over this decade.

But other major emitters, including India, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have not submitted new short-term pledges as of yet. And the report found that some of the updated pledges, such as those from Russia or Australia, were unlikely to lead to any actual emissions reductions between now and 2030.

China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, remains a wild card. Although the country has not yet officially updated its Paris agreement pledge, President Xi Jinping has said that China’s emissions could peak before its previous target of 2030, while the country plans to accelerate its development of renewable and nuclear power.

If those targets are met, the U.N. report found, that could nudge down expected future emissions further, though the world would remain sharply off track from its Paris agreement goals. Environmentalists have called on China to do far more to rein in its appetite for coal, the dirtiest of all fossil fuels.

The new report also warns that even these new climate pledges are only as good as the policies that back them up. That is still a major question mark.

The European Union, for instance, has proposed sweeping new climate legislation — including stricter caps on industrial emissions, new targets for electric vehicles and a border tax on carbon-intensive imports — to achieve its goal of slashing emissions 55 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. But those proposals still need approval from all 27 member states, and many remain contentious with industry groups.

In the United States, the Biden administration is still struggling to clarify exactly how it will meet its pledge, since major climate legislation has not been approved by Congress. One recent analysis found that the country might be able to meet its target with a combination of generous tax incentives for wind, solar and other clean energy, tough regulations to restrict pollution from power plants and automobile tailpipes, and a slew of climate laws enacted by states. But none of those actions are yet assured.

On top of that, most countries have largely squandered the chance for a “green recovery” in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the report said. While governments spent more than $16 trillion on stimulus measures over the past year, they largely focused on reviving the traditional fossil-fuel dependent parts of their economies as quickly as possible, with less than one-fifth of recovery funds used to promote low-carbon alternatives. As a result, global emissions are expected to rebound sharply this year after declining in 2020.

The new U.N. report also noted that more than 50 countries have now adopted formal goals to reach “net zero” emissions, which is essentially a promise to stop adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by a certain date. The United States has vowed to get to net zero by 2050. China says it will aspire to do so by 2060. This week, Saudi Arabia unveiled a net zero goal.

In theory, those goals could have a powerful effect. The report estimates that if countries all followed through, the world could potentially limit global warming to around 2.2 degrees Celsius by 2100.

But it’s unclear how plausible these goals actually are. Many net zero pledges remain vague, the report notes, and they are often inconsistent with the slow pace of emission cuts that many nations are planning over the next decade.

“There is an urgent need to back these pledges up with near-term targets and actions that give confidence that net zero emissions can ultimately be achieved,” the report said.

The report offers several suggestions for how to close the “emissions gap” — the gulf between current plans and the actions needed to avoid a sharp rise in temperatures. For instance, countries could do far more to cut emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that often leaks out of oil and gas facilities and is created by livestock production and landfills. Much of this methane could be captured or reduced at low cost, the report notes, such as through repairing pipeline leaks or reducing food waste.

Brad Plumer is a climate reporter specializing in policy and technology efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions. At The Times, he has also covered international climate talks and the changing energy landscape in the United States. @bradplumer

The post Latest National Climate Plans Still Fall Far Short, U.N. Report Warns, NY Times appeared first on Good News!.

… NEW YORK NEWS MEDIA AND DAYBOOK ADVISORY FOR OCTOBER 22^nd, 2020 …

ARE CLEAN ENERGY JOBS BETTER JOBS? DOES CLEAN ENERGY

PAY HIGHER WAGES, MORE BENEFITS?

New Report Details Wages and Benefits of Clean Energy Jobs Nationally and Across 15 Occupations; Includes State-Specific Data and Highlights Which are Wage Leaders in Clean Energy: AK, CA, CT, DC, LA, MD, MA, NV, NJ, NY, OR, TN, TX, and WA

WASHINGTON, DC – NEWS ADVISORY – As the coronavirus-induced economic downturn worsens, experts will hold a live, video-based news conference, Thursday, October 22 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT to release the findings of the Clean Jobs, Better Jobs report with leading clean energy organizations. The report will answer the question: Would most Americans earn higher wages, better benefits in a clean energy career?

Prepared for E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), and the Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) by BW Research Partnership, the Clean Jobs, Better Jobs report is a groundbreaking new analysis of federal occupational and wage data for FY2019.  The report covers jobs in the entire clean energy sector including renewables, energy efficiency, storage & grid modernization, clean fuels, and clean vehicles.

The analysis features state specific employment wage data, including by median hourly wage, percentage above/below statewide median hourly wage, findings on unionization rates for clean energy jobs, and comparisons to other employment sectors including fossil fuels, retail trade, and food and dining services.

Highlighted states include: Alaska, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. Highlighted occupational data includes solar PV installers, wind turbine technicians, construction laborers, wholesale trade representatives, plumbers, electricians, pipefitters and streamfitters, electric vehicle technicians, building efficiency carpenters, and welders and solderers.

WHO

Speakers participating in the news event include:

• Bob Keefe, executive director, E2
• Phil Jordan, vice president, BW Research
• Gregory Wetstone, president & CEO, ACORE
• Becca Ward, acting executive director, CELI

WHAT

A live, two-way video-based news conference with full Q&A to discuss the finding of the “Clean Jobs, Better Jobs” report.

WHEN

Thursday, October 22^nd , 2020 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT for the live video-based news event. A streaming version of the news event will be available later that same day at www.e2.org

WHERE

Register to participate in the news event here. Reporters will be provided a link to participate directly in the event, including the Q&A period.  Reporters who elect to participate by a traditional dial-up phone call will be in a listen-only mode for the Q&A period and can pose questions after the fact. The Q&A period will be reserved for members of the news media only.

EMBARGOED MATERIALS:

Reporters who wish to review the new “Clean Jobs COVID-19 data” report in advance of its official release may contact Alex Frank at (703) 276-3264 or afrank@hastingsgroup.com.  A media embargo on the report will run through Noon ET on Thursday, October 22^nd.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Alex Frank at (703) 276-3264 or afrank@hastingsgroup.com

The post What Does Clean Energy Pay in New York? New Report Looks at NY Clean Energy Jobs Wages, Benefits and Union Participation appeared first on Good News!.

The post The Stewardship Report: Connecting Goodness appeared first on Good News!.

THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW – (CES) IS THE YEARLY GATHERING WHERE EVERY NEW LIFESTYLE CHANGING TECHNOLOGY IS FIRST SEEN. KATLEAN DE-MONCHY (pronounced KAT-Lean de-MON-shee)… EDITOR IN CHIEF OF NEXTPERT NEWS HAS A PREVIEW OF THE NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL SOON BE ENTERING OUR LIVES.

Katlean is a natively trilingual innovation scout who travels the world to see, find, and show new technologies that will make our life better. First on the scene with her pop-culture trend forecasts, Katlean de Monchy reveals how style and technology are converging to change the way we live today – and tomorrow. On the inside track as she reveals the human side of technology – the stories behind the start-ups and the individuals innovating at a corporate level – Katlean inspires her audience with a fresh, exciting vision for the future.

Sharing trending insights with knowledge and humor, Katlean appears frequently on CNN Clix where she broadcasts directly from CES. She has also been a recognizable presence on, Univision, Fox, Extra, E! and Inside Edition. NEXTPERT REPORT her annual digital trend report, making her a sought-after resource for those who want to be in the know about tech innovations on the horizon in ever industry. As the host and producer of the styleXtech events held during Fashion Week in New York, Katlean gathers top global media and influencers for an experiential showcase demonstrating in real time the most innovative products and tech developments influencing fitness, beauty and fashion, plus how technology is changing style and how style is being embraced by technology.

The post What’s WHAO at CES 2018? CES 2018 package from NeXtpert News – Katlean de Monchy, Click Here for Video & Podcast… appeared first on Good News!.

She is the Associate Director, Department of External Affair for NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens. Renee is the President of Reenbow Media LLC, an advertising, broadcasting and public relations Company in the US. She serves as an advisor in the Women’s Cabinet to the NYC Mayor’s office of Immigrant Affairs.

An indefatigable advocate for the South Asian community and a civic and community educator, Renee has dedicated herself to addressing the needs of immigrant communities of the tri state area through television and print media and her nonprofit organization POWER (Providing Our Women Equal Rights) to deepen their awareness about their rights as New Americans so they can create their own stories of success

The post Renee Mehrra Shares Good News with Us – She is a “Do Gooder” appeared first on Good News!.

The post JUST PUBLISHED: Robert Silvetz, MD and Lorraine Cancro: True Love at Last – Stewardship Report by Mitzi Perdue appeared first on Good News!.

The new UNESCO 2013/4 Education for All Global Monitoring Report, called “teaching and learning: achieving quality for all”

You will find the full report, its summary and factsheets by region at this following address:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/reports/2013/embargoed

Password: EFA_Qualityforall

The post UNESCO 2013/4 Education for All Global Monitoring Report appeared first on Good News!.