Climate

• [New] The G20 final communique will promote economic growth, protect the world against climate change and revive the circular carbon economy at the onset of 2021.
• [New] Unified G20 stances on climate change coupled with the EU's staunch support for green and sustainable recovery, and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals will likely boost the growth of a carbon circular economy and ensure the future of global trade.
• [New] The Maryland Commission on Climate Change Annual Report endorses achieving net-zero emissions by 2045, and phasing out coal-fired power plants by 2030.
• [New] Anthony Blinken will be at the center of Biden's efforts early 2021 to rejoin the Paris climate agreement and renew U.S. engagement on clean energy and climate adaptation abroad.
• [New] African agriculture is significantly impacted by climate change, with projections anticipating increasing pressure in coming years.
• [New] In Iran, water shortage is considered one of the important factors limiting sustainable development and it is also predicted that Iran is going to be included in the list of countries that will face serious water shortages by 2025.
• [New] Although melt from the ice sheets will dominate the trend in sea level after 2100, this century the distribution of rising seas by winds and ocean currents will be deeply important in translating the global rise to local coastlines.
• [New] While France has committed itself to reducing its emissions by 40% in 2030 compared to 1990 levels, it has, in recent years, regularly exceeded the 'carbon budgets' it had set itself.
• [New] As the U.S. waste and recycling industry pivots to face the risks and opportunities around climate change - or accelerates ongoing efforts, depending on who you ask - the coming decade could be potentially transformative.
• [New] The UK is going further and faster than any other major economy to decarbonise transport, harnessing the power of clean, green technology to end the UK 's contribution to climate change by 2050.
• [New] After the next leasing round for offshore wind licence areas, there could be up to 10 GW in Scottish waters in the coming years.
• [New] Climate change is driving sea-level rise at a rate of around 3-4 mm/yr and the global mean sea-level rise is projected to be anywhere from 0.28 to 0.98m by 2100, depending on modeling methodology and the carbon dioxide emissions scenario.
• [New] The United Nations recognises the role of biodiversity in stabilising climate and has declared that the next decade will be the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030.
• [New] There is huge pressure on the UK to show it is a leader on tackling climate change ahead of hosting 2021's COP26 climate conference when the world aims to agree ambitious pledges to reduce greenhouse gases.
• [New] 2030 ban on polluting cars could create 32,000 new jobs and provide £4.2bn boost to economy, report finds.
• [New] With Europe and the United Kingdom looking to cut pollution by well over half by 2030, and the United States having already agreed to cuts of 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels by 2025, five years earlier than Australia, we are becoming increasingly isolated.
• [New] A recovery plan based on lower-carbon emissions could not only make significant emissions reductions needed to battle climate change, but also create more economic growth and jobs than a high-carbon recovery plan would.
• [New] Insulating the UK's draughty homes will save the NHS at least £2bn a year in preventable illness, and switching to electric vehicles will prevent some of the 40,000 deaths each year from air pollution.
• [New] Assessments of the impacts of climate change on global mountain systems foresee temperature warming between 1.8 and 4 °C over the European Alps for the period 2051-2080.
• [New] United Nations has allocated 100 million US dollar to help people feed themselves in countries most at risk from the growing hunger epidemic caused by conflict, economic decline, climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic.
• [New] Rising seas could cost the global economy $14.2 trillion in lost or damaged assets by the end of the century, and expose as many as 287 million people to episodic flooding, up from 171 million today.
• [New] With changing attitudes to air pollution and climate change, allied to various government deadlines (a ban on new gas car sales from 2030 in the UK is expected imminently), next year looks set to be big for the European electric car market.

Last updated: 30 November 2020