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What Is Climate Change? 1. Climate change can be a natural process where temperature, rainfall, wind and other elements vary over decades or more. In millions of years, our world has been warmer and colder than it is now. But today we are experiencing rapid warming from human activities, primarily due to burning fossil fuels that generate greenhouse gas emissions. 2. Increasing…

On climate and temperature rise 1. The earth is now 1.2°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s. We are not on track to meet the Paris Agreement target to keep global temperature from exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. That is considered the upper limit to avoid the worst fallout from climate change. 2. 2015-2019 saw the five warmest years on record while 2010-2019 was the…

On climate and the economy 1. Climate action is not a budget buster or economy-wrecker. Shifting to a green economy could yield a direct economic gain of $26 trillion through 2030 compared with business-as-usual. This could produce over 65 million new low-carbon jobs. 2. Significant investment in infrastructure is needed over the next 15 years, around $90 trillion by 2030. New…

On climate and jobs 1. A green transition, including a shift to renewable energy, the manufacturing of electric vehicles and construction of energy-efficient buildings, will create 24 million jobs by 2030, far more than the 6 million that could be lost. 2. By 2030, among 163 economic sectors, only 14 are predicted to have employment losses of more than 10,000 jobs worldwide, and only…

On climate and energy 1. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, a record 260 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity was added globally in 2020, beating the previous record by almost 50 per cent. 2. Renewables grew almost 5 per cent per year between 2009 and 2019, outpacing fossil fuels at 1.7 per cent. 3. Although most new renewable energy capacity installations have been made in…

On climate and finance 1. Public climate finance, including $100 billion that developed countries have agreed to provide to developing countries each year, supports critical infrastructure for adaptation, resilience and the new renewable energy-based economy. 2. Based on the most recent assessment conducted by developed countries, total climate finance counting towards the $100…