Posts tagged COP23

We have the tools to fight climate change. It’s time to start using them

Medium, WEF, climate action, COP23, climate change, inaction, economics, 2017

The world needs to act fast: if humans continue to emit greenhouse gases at current rates, the remaining carbon budget to reduce risk of exceeding the 2°C target will be exhausted in around 20 years. Emissions should peak by 2020 and approach zero by around 2050 if the world is serious about reducing risk. As a simple rule of thumb, this means halving global emissions every decade, which can act as a golden rule. This golden rule is a road-map to prosperity. A fossil-fuel free society is economically attractive: renewable energy sources increasingly compete with fossil fuels, even when these are priced at historic lows. Moreover, the estimated costs of inaction range from 2–10% of GDP by 2100 by some estimates, to a final invoice equivalent to a 23% collapse in global productivity.

via https://medium.com/world-economic-forum/we-have-the-tools-to-fight-climate-change-its-time-to-start-using-them-e73d7c4c61e9