Smoke from the Carr Fire in northern California, July 2018. Eric Coulter, Bureau of Land Management / Public Domain
By Juanita Constible
How do you think the U.S. stacks up against other countries for protecting its citizens from the health threats of air pollution?
That's the question Christiana Figueres, one of the world's leading climate warriors, posed at last week's Global Climate and Health Forum, an official side event of the Global Climate Action Summit. The answer, said Ms. Figueres, is "completely outrageous."
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="33846" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="TIUFC71576661978"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1040620574190387201" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Every breath matters. The faster we clean our air the faster we’ll deal with climate change. #2020DontBeLate https://t.co/WgCIVoOrNU</div> — Christiana Figueres (@Christiana Figueres)<a href="https://twitter.com/CFigueres/statuses/1040620574190387201">1536938253.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>The U.S. is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-richest-countries-in-the-world-2018-5" target="_blank">one of the richest countries</a> in the world, has the <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-spending-u-s-compare-countries/#item-average-wealthy-countries-spend-half-much-per-person-health-u-s-spends" target="_blank">highest per capita spending</a> on health care, and has <a href="https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview" target="_blank">an effective federal clean air law</a>. But when it comes to avoiding sicknesses and deaths due to air pollution, we are ranked <a href="http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.BODAMBIENTAIRDALYS?lang=en" target="_blank">#23 in the world</a>. In 2016, the American population lost 516 years of disease- and disability-free life per 100,000 people. That's more than double the rate found in top-ranked New Zealand, and only marginally better than countries like Honduras (#26) and Nicaragua (#28).<br></p><p><strong>Air Pollution Is Dangerous</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ambient-(outdoor)-air-quality-and-health" target="_blank">Most air pollution-related deaths</a> and illnesses are caused by fine particle pollution, known more formally as "fine particulate matter" or PM2.5. Fine particles can lodge deep in the lungs and get into the bloodstream. This form of pollution has been linked to a <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/health-and-environmental-effects-particulate-matter-pm" target="_blank">wide array of health effects</a>, including premature deaths, asthma attacks, heart attacks, lung cancer, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28196630" target="_blank">preterm births</a>, <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031816-044318" target="_blank">autism</a> and <a href="https://qz.com/1378325/prolonged-exposure-to-air-pollution-contributes-to-alzheimers-and-dementia/" target="_blank">dementia</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODYzNjY2NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzU3MDAzM30.UR4XlisGbPKiigzgAmwcQ97ymsAUq-iaJQkizJm6JK4/img.jpg?width=980" id="de1ef" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="788682dcd4ed3e2321978514f4ee8792" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Global deaths from outdoor and indoor air pollution</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">World Health Organization</small></p><p>Here's the latest available information (2014) on the <a href="https://gispub.epa.gov/neireport/2014/" target="_blank">sources of fine particle pollution</a> in the U.S.:<br></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li>About 77 percent is from power plants and other industrial processes;</li><li>About 10 percent is from the transportation sector; and</li><li>More than 16 percent is from <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires">wildfire</a> smoke.</li></ul><p>Thanks to federal and state pollution limits, levels of <a href="https://gispub.epa.gov/neireport/2014/" target="_blank">fine particles have declined</a> across the U.S. since the 1990s, increasing life expectancy along the way. But that progress is in jeopardy thanks to the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-watch/">Trump</a> administration's attack on our lungs.</p><p>In just the last six weeks, the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/epa">U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</a> and Bureau of Land Management have proposed to weaken or roll back three key public health safeguards directly limiting particle pollution: the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/nrdc/epa-guts-clean-power-plan-turning-back-climate-crisis" target="_blank">Clean Power Plan</a>, <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/luke-tonachel/trump-cars-rollback-unjustified-unprecedented-and-dangerous" target="_blank">clean car rules</a>, and <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2018/180911" target="_blank">methane standards</a> for the oil and gas industry. These safeguards also indirectly cut particle pollution by fighting <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a>—which is <a href="https://science2017.globalchange.gov/chapter/8/" target="_blank">fueling larger wildfires</a> and more unhealthy wildfire smoke.</p><p><strong>Wildfires Are Getting Worse</strong></p><p>As Michael St. John, Battalion Chief with the fire department in Mill Valley, California, put it at <a href="https://gcasummit.wixsite.com/climatemigrant" target="_blank">another Summit event</a>:</p><blockquote>"There's no doubt it's warmer and drier, and the fires are moving much more ferociously than in the past."</blockquote><p>Wildfire smoke <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/07/10/1804353115" target="_blank">increased fine particle pollution</a> in the U.S. Northwest from 1988 to 2016, even as levels of that pollution declined in the rest of the country. Last month, fires in the Northwest produced so much particle pollution that air quality in Seattle, Washington was regularly <a href="http://fortune.com/2018/08/21/seattle-air-quality-beijing-five-times-worse-fires-natural-gas/" target="_blank">worse than Beijing's</a>.</p><p>Future increases in area burned and number of wildfire days fueled by climate change are expected to likewise increase particle pollution in the West and the Southeast. And as concentrations of wildfire smoke increase, Americans will face more <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/12/124018/meta" target="_blank">hospital admissions</a> and <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018GH000144" target="_blank">premature deaths</a> from respiratory ailments and other causes.</p><p>Trump and his allies in Congress aren't just advancing policies that will increase air pollution. They're also systematically increasing the kinds of <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/deron-lovaas/short-sighted-tax-plan-undercuts-america" target="_blank">income</a> and <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/nrdc/healthcare-environmental-issue" target="_blank">health care</a> disparities that amp up the already disproportionate threat of air pollution to lower-income people and some communities of color. The prevalence of asthma, for example, is 1.6 times higher among African-American children than in white children, and the <a href="https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-pro/resources/lung/naci/discover/disparities.htm" target="_blank">rates of hospitalizations and death</a> from asthma are three times higher.</p><p><strong>Wanted: Climate Action</strong></p><p>The administration's giveaways to big polluters and inaction on climate change directly contradicts <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/were-better" target="_blank">commitments</a> made by the businesses, health professionals, city and state leaders, philanthropies and others at the Global Climate Action Summit last week to reduce pollution and increase resilience to the present-day effects of climate change. Back at the Health Forum, former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos noted how odd it was that event organizers had to invite someone from a small country like his to give advice to the U.S. government. He also recognized that climate action can have some political costs, <a href="https://lecture.ucsf.edu/ets/Play/3f95cee3d6e84ffcb195e0a8133afdef1d" target="_blank">but said</a>:</p><blockquote>"A president, my goodness, cannot think about the next election. A president has to think about the next generation."</blockquote><p>Want to remind Donald Trump that it's outrageous to roll back health and safety standards?</p><p><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/get-involved" target="_blank">Take action here</a>.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="7a013" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="FNH4RM1576661978"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="993641709228691456" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Is Air Pollution Making You Sick? 4 Questions Answered https://t.co/qOg6yXcsU5 @Greenpeace @ScienceNewsOrg</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/993641709228691456">1525737619.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Musicians, artists and activists lended their unique voices to the issue of climate change at the Pathway To Paris concerts at The Masonic in San Francisco and the ACE Theatre in Los Angeles over the weekend, a closing act of the Global Climate Action Summit in California.
This year's concerts, a collaboration with 350.org and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), featured legendary punk rocker Patti Smith, Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, skateboarding icon Tony Hawk, hip-hop artist Talib Kweli, artists Olafur Eliasson and Steven Sebring, 350.org founder Bill McKibben and many other high-profile guests and environmental activists.
<p style="">
"Happy in my heart I had the opportunity to play for for Pathways To Paris this weekend. I love trees, water, air, bluebirds with those little crowns on their heads," Flea
<a href="https://twitter.com/flea333/status/1041727667710513152" target="_blank">tweeted</a> Monday.</p>
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<p style=""><a href="http://pathwaytoparis.com/about/" target="_blank">Founded</a> by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/325482731530684/" target="_blank">Jesse Paris Smith</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/EcoWatch/videos/317133262369686/" target="_blank">Rebecca Foon</a>, the first Pathway to Paris concerts took place in New York following the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/peoples-climate-march-largest-climate-march-in-world-history-launched--1881940270.html" target="_blank">People's Climate March</a> in 2014 and in Paris, France following the adoption of the landmark <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris climate agreement</a> in 2015. <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/pathway-to-paris-carnegie-hall-2507429912.html" target="_blank">Last year's concert</a> in New York's renowned Carnegie Hall launched the <a href="http://pathwaytoparis.com/1000-cities/" target="_blank">1000 Cities</a> campaign that aims to get at least 1,000 cities around the world to commit to using 100 percent <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy">renewable energy</a> by 2040.<br></p><p style="">
This year's event focused on "the potential for cities to push for, achieve and go beyond the climate targets highlighted in the Paris agreement," according to a
<a href="http://pathwaytoparis.com/san-francisco/" target="_blank">press release</a>.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="ce4b5" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="GE1RIR1576661663"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1041767401195548677" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Truly filled with a new energy coming out of #PathwayToParis over the weekend. I’m both grateful and inspired to ha… https://t.co/CsOqj0j5N6</div> — Bob Weir (@Bob Weir)<a href="https://twitter.com/BobWeir/statuses/1041767401195548677">1537211678.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p style="">"Cities play a critical role in transforming our world out of the era of fossil fuels and into a renewable world," Foon said in the press release. "This is our time to make this shift and transform our cities to become sustainable, resilient cities for us all and future generations. This is our chance as our window of time is narrowing."<br></p><p>
The organizers also called on the international community to ramp up climate action, which reflected the theme of the Global Climate Action Summit to take
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/global-climate-action-summit-2018-2603749123.html" target="_blank">"Take Ambition to the Next Level."</a>
</p><p>
"In the world of music, the best way to improve is through collaboration. This is the same with the critical issue of climate change," Smith said in the release. "We must join together to make this the most ambitious collaboration of our century. We will not be able to implement crucial and challenging solutions to climate change, plastic pollution, and all urgent environmental problems as long as we stand divided. Inseparable from the issue of climate change is the need for world peace, global communication, and an international collaboration unmatched by any event in human history."
</p><p>
Ice cream maker and Pathway to Paris partner
<a href="https://www.benjerry.com/" target="_blank">Ben & Jerry</a>'s live-streamed the San Francisco concert. Watch <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVCS6uo5ndE&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">here</a>:
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California's Gov. Jerry Brown speaks at a news conference held at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco on Thursday, Sept. 13. Anda Chu / Digital First Media / The Mercury News / Getty Images
In a rebuke to the Trump administration, California will launch its "own damn satellite" to monitor pollution, Gov. Jerry Brown announced last week on the last day of the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco.
<p>Brown's announcement caps several days of momentum towards progressing action on climate from the leaders gathered in California. Over the course of the summit, there were more than 500 announcements from thousands of subnational leaders, mobilizing billions of dollars in new commitments to fight climate change. </p><p style="">"It's time to take this momentum back home," Brown said in a later statement at the Summit's close. "Climate change waits for nobody. Let's get to work."</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="f07bf" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="K6YSO41537201014"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1040729207850950656" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">We’re launching our own damn satellite! https://t.co/3NQhPKYtmv #GCAS2018 🌎🛰️ https://t.co/I5616pJODy</div> — Jerry Brown (@Jerry Brown)<a href="https://twitter.com/JerryBrownGov/statuses/1040729207850950656">1536964153.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p><strong>For a deeper dive:</strong><br></p><p>News: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/california-to-launch-satellite-to-track-air-pollution-1536971962?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=4" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>, <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/14/california-jerry-brown-climate-change-satellite-825346" target="_blank">Politico</a>, <a href="http://news.trust.org/item/20180914233623-7s2o0/" target="_blank">Thomson Reuters Foundation</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/09/14/647767409/governors-and-mayors-pledge-more-emissions-cuts-to-fight-climate-change" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <a href="https://qz.com/1390670/the-world-has-decided-bottom-up-is-the-way-its-going-to-stop-climate-change/" target="_blank">Quartz</a>, <a href="https://earther.gizmodo.com/california-governor-jerry-brown-says-state-will-launch-1829095343" target="_blank">Gizmodo</a>, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Brown-announces-California-plan-to-launch-13230706.php" target="_blank">San Francisco Chronicle</a>, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-climate-summit-economy-20180914-story.html" target="_blank">LA Times</a>, <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jerry-brown-launching-own-damn-climate-change-satellite_us_5b9d8be5e4b04d32ebf923dd" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a>, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/15/california-will-launch-its-own-damn-satellite-as-swipe-at-trump-governor-moonbeam-says.html" target="_blank">Fox News</a></p><p><a href="https://climatenexus.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=8d2ea3bd0a&e=992ed4d5cc" target="_blank"></a>Commentary: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/15/climate/california-climate-summit.html" target="_blank">New York Times, Brad Plumer analysis</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/09/17/are-states-cities-and-companies-taking-the-lead-on-climate-action/?utm_term=.bcda7dfe1ae3" target="_blank">Washington Post, Joshua Busby and Johannes Urpelainen analysis</a>, <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/406835-global-climate-summit-the-movement-to-save-us-from-ourselves" target="_blank">The Hill, Tracy Stein op-ed</a></p><p><em>For more </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/climate-change-news/" target="_blank"><em>climate change</em></a><em> and </em><a href="http://ecowatch.com/business/renewables/" target="_blank"><em>clean energy</em></a><em> news, you can follow Climate Nexus on </em><a href="https://twitter.com/ClimateNexus" target="_blank"><em>Twitter</em></a><em> and </em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ClimateNexus/" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a><em>, and sign up for daily </em><a href="http://climatenexus.us4.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=d1f5797e59060083034310930&id=7c84c08aaa" target="_blank"><em>Hot News</em></a><em>.</em></p>
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A group of mayors with event co-chair and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the Global Climate Action Summit. JOSH EDELSON / AFP / Getty Images
Over the past three days, more than 4,000 people have gathered in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) convened by California Governor Jerry Brown to mobilize regional, local and business leaders around climate change.
Seventeen states and 400 cities, representing together the world's third largest economy, have now joined Brown and summit co-chair and UN special envoy for climate action Michael Bloomberg's "We're Still In" commitment to honor the terms of the Paris agreement despite President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw, and Bloomberg announced at the summit Thursday that the group was making progress, The Nation reported.
<p style="">"Today, we announce that this 'bottom up' movement will put us within striking distance of the US commitment to the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_self">Paris Agreement</a>, even with zero support from our federal government," Bloomberg said, according to The Nation. </p><p style="">That announcement was based on a <a href="https://www.bbhub.io/dotorg/sites/28/2018/09/Fulfilling-Americas-Pledge_Executive-Summary_2018.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> written by researchers at the University of Maryland and the Rocky Mountain Institute that found that business, regional and local efforts have taken the U.S. nearly halfway towards meeting its 2025 Paris goal and will carry it two-thirds of the way by 2025 without federal support, according to a <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/fulfilling-americas-pledge/" target="_blank">GCAS press release</a>. </p><p style="">But that was only one of the many announcements made by cities, states and businesses as they celebrated their progress and reaffirmed their commitment to fighting climate change. </p><p style="">Here is a roundup of some of the highlights. <strong></strong></p><p style=""><strong>1. 27 Cities Have Reached Peak Carbon</strong></p><p style="">Scientists have warned that global greenhouse gas emissions need to peak in 2020 and then rapidly decline in order to avoid catastrophic warming. </p><p style="">Luckily, on Thursday, Paris mayor and chair of the <a href="https://www.c40.org/" target="_blank">C40</a> network of cities committed to climate action Anne Hidalgo announced that 27 major cities, representing 54 million people, had already passed this milestone, according to a <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/27-cities-have-reached-peak/" target="_blank">GCAS press release</a>. </p><p style="">Barcelona, Basel, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Copenhagen, Heidelberg, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Melbourne, Milan, Montréal, New Orleans, New York City, Oslo, Paris, Philadelphia, Portland, Rome, San Francisco, Stockholm, Sydney, Toronto, Vancouver, Warsaw and Washington, DC have all seen their emissions fall over the last five years to at least 10 percent below peak levels while their economies have continued to grow. </p><p style="">"It is an incredible achievement for these 27 cities, including Paris, to have peaked their emissions," Hidalgo said. "As the greatest custodians of the Paris Agreement, mayors of the world's great cities have once again shown that cities are getting the job done." </p><p style=""><strong>2. NYC Puts Its Money Where Its Mouth Is</strong></p><p style="">It is not enough for cities to rest on past accomplishments. </p><p style="">New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio followed up an earlier commitment to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/new-york-fossil-fuel-divestment-2524494059.html" target="_self">divest</a> the New York pension fund from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a> with a new commitment to double the fund's investments in climate change solutions to $4 billion within three years, a <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/mayor-announce-pension-fund/" target="_blank">GCAS press release reported</a>. </p><p style="">Ahead of the summit, de Blasio had joined with London Mayor Sadiq Khan to <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/london-new-york-fossil-fuels-2603700045.html" target="_self">call on</a> other cities to divest from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_blank">fossil fuels</a> and invest in solutions like <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy/" target="_self">renewable energy</a>. </p><p style="">De Blasio was joined in his announcement by Comptroller Scott Stringer and other fund trustees. </p><p style="">"New York City leads from the front when it comes to the fight against climate change," de Blasio said. "We're taking a stand for generations to come with our goal to double our pension investments in job-creating climate solutions. I know that other cities will look to our example, and I implore them to join us."</p><p style=""><strong>3. West Coast Represents</strong></p><p style=""><a href="http://pacificcoastcollaborative.org/" target="_blank">The Pacific Coast Collaborative</a> (PCC), representing the states of California, Oregon, Washington, the Canadian province of British Columbia and the cities of Los Angeles, Oakland San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, <a href="http://pacificcoastcollaborative.org/expert-availability-west-coast-governors-premier-big-city-mayors-to-announce-climate-commitments-during-global-climate-action-summit/" target="_blank">renewed its commitment</a> to working together against climate change and towards a growing renewable energy economy. </p><p style="">Commitments included reducing carbon emissions, developing a low-carbon, regional transportation system, improving building efficiency and reducing <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/food-waste" target="_self">food waste</a> 50 percent by 2030. </p><p style="">"The West Coast represents the world's fifth largest economy and we are creating a blueprint for other regions," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said. "We are building a thriving, innovative economy that combats climate change and embraces a zero-emission future. Our efforts aren't just building a clean energy economy, they're also creating great places to live. Our communities are growing healthier and more prosperous, and attractive to new businesses and workers."</p><p style=""><strong>4. EV Innovators Charge Forward</strong></p><p style="">Business leaders made commitments as well, including <a href="https://www.chargepoint.com/" target="_blank">ChargePoint</a>, one of the world's largest networks of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/electric-vehicles" target="_self">electric vehicle</a> chargers, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-chargepoint-growth/chargepoint-to-grow-global-ev-charging-network-to-2-5-million-idUSKCN1LU0LU" target="_blank">according to Reuters</a>. </p><p>The company announced a pledge to add 2.5 million charging points to its network within the next seven years on Friday, according to a press release emailed to EcoWatch. </p><p style="">The commitment represents a nearly fifty-fold expansion of its charging network, would prevent two million tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere and would help establish infrastructure for a future in which EVs are expected to represent more than 50 percent of new car purchases by 2040.</p><p style="">ChargePoint President and CEO Pasquale Romano said in a press conference that the company had done the math, and the commitment meant the company was "going to grow in line with the adoption rate of EVS."</p><p style="">The commitment actually only covers a "subset" of ChargePoint's business, Romano said.</p><p style="">ChargePoint has developed a business model of going from business to business and installing chargers in company parking lots, and this is the network it is committed to expanding.</p><p style="">Its home and transportation fleet charging efforts are not included and will represent additional greenhouse gas savings.</p><p style="">Romano said that policy decisions by individual governments, such as Trump's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-fuel-efficiency-proposal-2592345279.html" target="_self">reversal</a> of Obama-era fuel efficiency standards, could be "speed bumps" in the growth of EVs, but policies already established in California and the EU, as well as the quality and falling price of EVs, meant that their use would continue to expand.</p><p style="">"In the long term, this is an unstoppable train," he said.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b5f71" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="GHQM9L1576662905"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1008464316155211777" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Taking Your First Steps Into Local Climate Action https://t.co/OeZptFKOeO @Connect4Climate @MarkRuffalo</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1008464316155211777">1529271603.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Some of the world's most prominent climate leaders will descend this week in San Francisco for the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) hosted by California Gov. Jerry Brown.
The Sept. 12 to 14 gathering will feature numerous seminars, notable speakers such as former vice president Al Gore and former secretary of state John Kerry, and will culminate Friday with a call urging international governments to commit greater efforts in averting dangerous global warming under the goals of the Paris climate agreement.
<p style="">Collective action on tackling climate change is more important than ever, especially in light of
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/trump">President Trump</a>'s intention to withdraw the U.S. from the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/Paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a> and his continued efforts to push polluting, planet-warming <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a>.<br></p><p style="">
"We're running out of time," as Gov. Brown
<a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/about-the-summit/" target="_blank">says</a> on the event website. "There's been some backsliding since Paris, and our summit ... aims to increase the commitments that have already been made in Paris, to make them even greater, and thereby build the momentum going into the conference of the parties at Poland," aka the <a href="http://cop24.gov.pl/" target="_blank">COP24</a> climate talks, this December.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="38e00" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1HNGER1576663357"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1039188942212325376" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">People from all over the world are gathering this week in San Francisco for @GCAS2018. Against the indifference of… https://t.co/6Ikl3M5nvB</div> — Jerry Brown (@Jerry Brown)<a href="https://twitter.com/JerryBrownGov/statuses/1039188942212325376">1536596925.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>In an op-ed this week for the <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/article/We-must-mobilize-climate-action-at-the-local-level-13210402.php" target="_blank">San Francisco Chronicle</a>, Brown wrote: "We all know that Donald Trump has declared war on every effort to stop global warming and that his congressional acolytes have abetted his insane crusade. Tragically, even the leaders of nations who joined in the 2015 Paris climate accord are also failing to do what it takes to reverse global warming. Greenhouse gas levels are still rising, and they are producing an unsustainable human future." </p><p>Fittingly, the theme of GCAS is to take "Take Ambition to the Next Level."</p><p>"The summit in San Francisco is bringing together grassroots activists, mayors, governors, heads of industry and international leaders for the express purpose of mobilizing climate action at the local level and to demand that their national governments get serious and raise their ambitions," Brown added. </p><p>Once the meeting gets going, we should expect significant climate action announcements from a major food and beverage company, a large utility and a major healthcare company, according to a press release received by EcoWatch.<br></p><p>
Several companies will also make commitments to roll out more zero-emissions vehicles and charging infrastructure, the release said.
</p><p>
Ahead of the gathering, Kaiser Permanente—the nation's largest nonprofit integrated health care system and GCAS sponsor—announced a major renewable power purchase agreement on Monday that will allow the organization to become carbon neutral in 2020.
</p><p>
"Climate change is here. We are seeing the effects of it in devastating wildfires, hurricanes and droughts already impacting people's lives," said chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson in a statement received by EcoWatch. "At Kaiser Permanente we understand that one of the most effective ways to protect the health of the more than 68 million people in the communities we serve is by ensuring healthy environmental conditions. By investing in renewable energy and becoming carbon neutral, Kaiser Permanente is helping to prevent climate-related illness for people worldwide."
</p><p>
<span></span>The gathering will celebrate existing climate commitments and achievements, and will ask the world to step up their efforts in five key challenge areas: <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/healthy-energy-systems/" target="_blank">Healthy Energy Systems</a>; <a href="http://globalclimateactionsummit.org/inclusive-economic-growth/" target="_blank">Inclusive Economic Growth</a>; <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/sustainable-communities/" target="_blank">Sustainable Communities</a>; <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/land-stewardship/" target="_blank">Land and Ocean Stewardship</a>; <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/transformative-climate-investment/" target="_blank">Transformative Climate Investments</a>. <span></span>
</p><p style="">
The
<a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/" target="_blank">World Wildlife Fund</a>, a leader of the Land and Ocean Stewardship challenge, issued the <a href="http://climatelandchallenge.org/" target="_blank">30X30 Forests, Food and Land Challenge</a> that calls on businesses, governments and citizens to take action for better forest and habitat conservation, food production and consumption and land use.
</p><p>
"To curb climate change, we must address the second-greatest source of emissions: our use of land," said Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, head of WWF's global climate and energy practice in an online
<a href="https://www.worldwildlife.org/press-releases/forests-food-and-land-can-deliver-30-of-solutions-needed-to-tackle-climate-crisis-by-2030" target="_blank">press release</a>. "By taking concrete action, businesses and local leaders also can encourage national governments to more aggressively reduce carbon emissions using every resource available, including trees, grasses and soil."
</p><p>
Alongside the summit itself, there will be more than 325
<a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/events-calendar/" target="_blank">affiliate events</a> in San Francisco and elsewhere. Many of these panels, workshops, tours, exhibits and other special events are open for the public or can be attended virtually.
</p><p style="">
Click here for the full <a href="https://www.globalclimateactionsummit.org/program/" target="_blank">GCAS program</a>. Some events will also be live-streamed on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCor3JbUn8yqq5npEsf7Cl1g" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GlobalClimateActionSummit/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/gcas2018" target="_blank">Twitter.</a>
</p>
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"As mayors of the world's great cities we recognize our responsibility to ensure every building, whether historic or brand new, helps deliver a sustainable future for our citizens" - Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. Pixabay
The world's most iconic skylines are going green. Nineteen city leaders from the C40 coalition signed the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Declaration on Thursday to ensure all new buildings operate with a neutral carbon footprint by 2030.
The mayors of Copenhagen, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York City, Newburyport, Paris, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tshwane, Vancouver and Washington, DC also pledged to ensure all buildings in the cities—old or new—will meet net-zero carbon standards by 2050, according to a press release. The cities are home to 130 million people combined.
<p>
Buildings are often a city's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions due to
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a> being used for heat, hot water and other energy needs. <a href="http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=86&t=1" target="_blank">About 39 percent</a> of the total energy consumption in the U.S. comes from the residential and commercial sectors. In megacities such as London, Los Angeles and Paris, buildings account for more than 70 percent of their overall emissions. These structures are not only driving <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change/">climate change</a>, but the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/air-pollution">air pollution</a> emitted from the buildings is also a public health concern.
</p><p>
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/teslas-massive-gigafactory-will-be-net-zero-energy-powered-by-100-rene-1882120175.html" target="_blank">Net-zero buildings</a>, however, are <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/stanford-professors-new-zero-net-energy-home-sets-the-standard-for-gre-1891181313.html">incredibly energy-efficient</a> and meet any remaining energy needs from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/renewable-energy" target="_blank">renewable energy</a> sources. Not only are these green buildings environmentally and socially beneficial, but they also offer economic benefits, such as cost savings on utility bills for tenants and higher property value for owners.
</p><p>
"Combating climate change is a moral necessity, an environmental imperative, and an economic opportunity—and Los Angeles is proud to be a leader in creating our clean energy future," said Mayor Eric Garcetti in statement. "By pledging to reduce the carbon footprint of our buildings, cities are moving us another step closer to the goals of the Paris Agreement–and the promise of lower emissions, less pollution, and more renewable energy innovation."
</p><p>
The pledges were made ahead of the
<a href="http://globalclimateactionsummit.org/" target="_blank">Global Climate Action Summit</a> in San Francisco next month and align with the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement" target="_blank">Paris agreement</a> goal of keeping global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
</p><p>
<span></span>"Delivering on the commitments made today will require a united effort, as city governments do not have direct control over all the buildings in a city. This commitment includes a pledge to work together with state and regional governments and the private sector to drive this transformation, and calls on national governments for equal action," the press release stated.
</p><p>
As part of the commitment, the cities will develop a roadmap to reach net-zero carbon buildings as well as a suite of supporting incentives and programs. Each year, they will release a report on their progress towards meeting their targets.
</p><p>
"Paris is home to some of the world's most beautiful and iconic buildings. As mayors of the world's great cities we recognize our responsibility to ensure every building, whether historic or brand new, helps deliver a sustainable future for our citizens," said Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, in a statement. "With this commitment cities are getting the job done, concretely delivering on the Paris Agreement and building better cities for generations to come. One more time, the future is taking place in cities."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="cbdf7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="P0CPWB1576662710"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="872082676362211328" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">.@IEA: World Can Reach 'Net Zero' Emissions by 2060 to Meet #Paris #Climate Goals https://t.co/SrsMCYTuWz @mzjacobson @billmckibben @BillNye</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/872082676362211328">1496755687.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Better Use of Forests, Food and Land Can Deliver 30 Percent of Climate Solutions by 2030
11 June 2018
Climate
Tropical forests alone hold more than 210 gigatons of carbon, seven times the amount emitted each year by human activities. A. Christy Williams / WWF-Canon
As part of the Global Climate Action Summit, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), together with a broad coalition of partners, on Monday issued the 30X30 Forests, Food and Land Challenge: calling on businesses, states, city and local governments, and global citizens to take action for better forest and habitat conservation, food production and consumption, and land use, working together across all sectors of the economy to deliver up to 30 percent of the climate solutions needed by 2030.
<p>Hosted in San Francisco from September 12-14, the Summit will bring together thousands of people from around the world to drive ambition to the next level. It will be a moment to recognize the extraordinary achievements of states, regions, cities, companies, investors, and citizens taking climate action and to catalyze bold new commitments and action.<br> <br>Collectively, the global food system, unsustainable forest management, infrastructure development, and other activities related to land use are a major driver of global <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a>, accounting for more greenhouse gas emissions than the total emissions from all cars, trucks, trains, planes and ships in the world. Forests, grasslands, and other habitats pull carbon out of the atmosphere, but when they are cleared, they release carbon and their capacity to reabsorb it is diminished. In the soil and in healthy ecosystems, carbon is a building block of life; in the atmosphere, it heats the planet.<br> <br>"To curb climate change, we must address the second-greatest source of emissions: our use of land," said Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, head of WWF's global climate and energy practice."By taking concrete action, businesses and local leaders also can encourage national governments to more aggressively reduce carbon emissions using every resource available, including trees, grasses and soil."<br> <br>California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr., a summit co-chair, recently underlined the actions California is taking to deal with forest losses. Forests serve as the state's largest land-based carbon sink, drawing carbon from the atmosphere, but even a single <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires">wildfire</a> can quickly undermine those benefits.<br> <br>"Devastating forest fires are a profound challenge to California," Governor Brown said recently when issuing a sweeping executive order to increase the ability of forests to capture carbon. "I intend to mobilize the resources of the state to protect our forests and ensure they absorb carbon to the maximum degree."<br> <br>"Climate change is already disrupting and destabilizing our global food and agricultural systems," said Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever. "By eliminating habitat loss and degradation from our supply chains, we can prevent the emission of billions of tons of greenhouse gases. Businesses like ours have a responsibility and an opportunity to help the nations of the world meet and exceed the goals of the Paris Agreement."<br><br>Businesses, state and local agencies, multilateral organizations, scientists, and other stakeholders can meet this challenge by taking concrete action to:</p><ol class="ee-ol"><li>Halve food loss and waste and consume conscientiously.</li><li>Sequester one gigaton of carbon per year in forests and other natural and working lands.</li><li>Enable better production of food and fiber by unlocking finance, providing tools to increase transparency, fostering public-private collaboration and protecting local rights.</li></ol><p>Because Indigenous Peoples and local communities are among the most effective guardians of natural habitats and most directly harmed by the loss and degradation of forests and waterways, engaging and protecting these constituencies and their tenure rights will be critical to meeting the 30X30 Challenge.<br><br>"Given the large but unrecognized contributions indigenous peoples are making by protecting huge areas of the world's forests, we are central to the climate solution," said Cándido Mezua, an Embera leader from Panama and secretary for international relations for the <a href="https://ifnotusthenwho.me/who/mesoamerican-alliance-of-peoples-and-forests-ampb/" target="_blank">Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests</a>. "Governments and the private sector should embrace our approach to sustainable development, partner with us in the planning, and allow us to share in the prosperity that results."</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="b1a74" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="GL4NR41576662925"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="951160659433152512" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">100+ Candidates for Congress Want to Win in 2018 on a Platform of Decisive Climate Action https://t.co/qda6zRjXZ1… https://t.co/VfDCIcYHrL</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/951160659433152512">1515609347.0</a></blockquote></div>
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The Murphy oil site in West Adams, LA, sits as close as 200 feet from homes and playgrounds. Sarah Craig / Faces of Fracking / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
By Kelly Trout
California Gov. Jerry Brown is gearing up to host leaders from state, tribal, and local governments, business and citizens from around the world at a Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco this September. His goal is to "inspire deeper commitments" in support of the Paris agreement goals. He has emphasized that, on climate, "so far the response is not adequate to the challenge" and "no nation or state is doing what they should be doing."
<p>A <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2018/05/22/skys-limit-california-oil-production-paris-climate-goals" target="_blank">new report</a> released by Oil Change International in partnership with 14 other environmental justice and climate groups shows that California will fall short of its own commitment to climate leadership unless it embarks on a managed phase-out of its oil and gas production. If Gove. Brown is serious about marshaling a response that is adequate to the challenge, he must take steps to limit fossil fuel production as part of California's suite of climate policies.</p><p>Here's what we lay out:</p><h3>Climate Leadership is Being Redefined</h3><p>The science tells us that climate safety requires rapid decarbonization within a few decades. Our previous <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2016/09/22/the-skys-limit-report/" target="_blank">analysis</a> has shown that fossil fuel projects already operating or under construction across the world contain more oil, gas and coal than the world can afford to burn under the Paris goals. It follows that any action that enables new fossil fuel production and infrastructure is incompatible with the Paris goals. Climate leadership requires <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2017/11/01/whats-the-plan/" target="_blank">managing</a> a just and equitable transition off fossil fuel production. As the global <a href="http://www.lofotendeclaration.org/" target="_blank">Lofoten Declaration</a> underscores, wealthy fossil fuel producers like California have a responsibility to <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2018/04/12/ready-set-go/" target="_blank">move first</a>.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzcyMzE0Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NTcwNzgzN30.ERByFV8rXAxU-i4C41-_EWGOxTwMO1jkzaSk_We7V60/img.png?width=980" id="16ad4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="38c93e9471ac991014b699d59d32b11b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Developed Fossil Fuel Reserves, Compared to Carbon Budgets for Likely Chance of 2°C and Medium Chance of 1.5°C.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Rystad Energy, International Energy Agency, World Energy Council, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Oil Change International analysis.</small></p>
<h3>California Has No Plan for a Just Transition Off Oil Extraction</h3><p>If you don't live in the heavy extraction zones of California—centered in Kern and LA Counties—you may not know that California is a top oil producer in the U.S., and has been for over a century. Under the Brown administration, the state has issued more than 20,000 new permits for drilling to oil companies, enabling the industry to keep tapping more fossil fuels.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzcyMzAwNC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzM4Nzk3Mn0.RHpA0qUt0pAA7yx8SrTRorzDx_mUQwV1p3AuJSOMM1w/img.jpg?width=980" id="7dbe7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6691c8377c4e0f6c3f3f1752435cbfaa" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">The Kern River oil field in Kern County is one of California's largest. </small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Antandrus / Wikipedia / <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-SA 3.0</a></small></p>
<p>California currently has no policy in place to manage its own transition off oil extraction. This is not only inconsistent with the Paris goals, but exacerbates environmental injustice. A significant portion of extraction is occurring directly in and around neighborhoods—and disproportionately in communities of color.<br></p><h3>California Can Ramp Down its Oil Extraction in a Climate-Safe and Equitable Way</h3><p>Our <a href="http://priceofoil.org/2018/05/22/skys-limit-california-oil-production-paris-climate-goals" target="_blank">new report</a> examines straightforward policy steps California can take to limit new production and begin a managed ramp-down of existing oil and gas wells. If California takes these steps, it would become the first major oil and gas producing jurisdiction to do so, setting a global precedent for climate leadership for others around the world to emulate.</p><p><strong>1. Cease issuing permits for new oil and gas extraction wells.</strong></p><p>We show that the permitting of new oil and gas extraction wells in California could enable 560 million barrels of new oil production from 2019 through 2030, which would dig the world into a deeper carbon hole at a time when we need to be winding down the fossil fuel industry instead. This new production could lead to more than 360 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent, increasing emissions associated with California oil production by 55 percent over the next 12 years. By ceasing such permits, California would limit new fossil fuel production, as required by the Paris goals.</p><p><strong>2. Implement a statewide health and safety buffer zone in which existing wells are phased out as quickly as possible.</strong></p><p>In partnership with the <a href="https://www.fractracker.org/2018/04/ca-escape-oil-and-gas-pollution/" target="_blank">FracTracker Alliance</a>, we found that nearly 8,500 active oil and gas wells across California operate within 2,500 feet of homes, schools and hospitals—a proximity linked to the greatest exposure to toxic air pollution. These wells, which are disproportionately located in some of the state's most polluted communities, were responsible for 12 percent of statewide oil production in 2016. STAND-L.A., an <a href="http://www.stand.la/" target="_blank">alliance of environmental justice groups</a>, is calling for a setback law in the city of LA that would phase out operation of wells within 2,500 feet of sensitive areas. Enacting a similar policy statewide would begin a proactive managed decline of existing extraction in a way that prioritizes the health of historically overburdened communities.</p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzcyMjk1My9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNzcyMTczN30.eNHjFqi2Oa8RuUt7V3niWy1Sgktak7JdEVxOhf0COgg/img.png?width=980" id="8edc0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="bcb321303b0c18a52c2107383c91e5fd" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Projected California Oil Production with and without New Wells and a 2,500' Health Buffer Zone, 2019-2030.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Oil Change International and FracTracker Alliance analysis, using historical data from the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources and DrillingInfo</small></p>
<p><strong>3. Develop a plan for the managed decline of California's entire fossil fuel sector as part of the state's climate initiatives.</strong><br></p><p>All in all, the oil production avoided by halting new well permits combined with phasing out wells within 2,500 feet of sensitive areas could total 660 million barrels from 2019 through 2030. To put this amount in context, meeting Gov. Brown's goal to reduce oil use in cars and trucks by 50 percent by 2030 would save about 430 million barrels of oil over the next 12 years, compared to reference-case projections. If California does not limit production, it could add a greater amount of new oil supply to the market, undermining the effectiveness of demand-side measures. Ultimately, California should "<a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-018-2162-x" target="_blank">cut with both arms of the scissors</a>"—acting aggressively to reduce oil supply, consumption and related infrastructure like refineries and export terminals together—to maximize the effectiveness of its climate policies.</p><p><strong>4. Develop a just transition plan that protects people whose livelihoods are affected by the economic shift.</strong></p><p>Leadership in managing the decline of fossil fuel production must include a commitment to a just transition. This means providing decent work and social protection to workers and communities affected by the shift to a climate-safe economy, and investing in their vision of a brighter future.</p><p>The groundwork for a just transition must be laid through a process of democratic social dialogue and planning between employers, workers, unions, frontline communities and organizations, and local and state agencies. To facilitate this planning process, we recommend that California establish a Just Transition Task Force.</p><p>Implementing a just transition plan will also require significant dedicated resources. We propose one solution for raising funds from the oil industry itself: A 5 to 10 percent Just Transition Fee on the value of oil production could generate $3.5 to $6.9 billion in revenue from 2019 through 2030. These funds, to be dedicated exclusively to just transition needs, could cover basic social protection costs for workers like wage replacement and college tuition before phasing out with the decline of extraction.</p><h3>Californian Leadership is Needed Now</h3><p>As Gov. Brown has acknowledged, the world currently faces a dangerous gap between the ambition of current pledges and action, and what's required to meet the Paris goals. California would set an urgently needed example of global leadership by becoming the first major oil and gas producer to establish policies to phase out its oil production in line with climate limits. Such policies would also help protect the health of local communities in California being unfairly harmed by extraction now.</p><p>Gov. Brown can act: The state has clear regulatory authority both to stop issuing permits for new wells and to institute a health and safety buffer zone. California has the resources and moral responsibility to act. Now, will Gov. Brown and other state leaders show the political resolve to act—to say "no" to oil and gas company plans and show the world how to manage a fair and equitable transition away from oil extraction?</p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from our media associate </em><em><a href="http://priceofoil.org/2018/05/22/will-governor-brown-plug-dangerous-hole-california-climate-action/" target="_blank">Oil Change International</a>.</em></p>
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‘Business Unusual’ Must Be the Mantra in Bonn as UN Climate Talks Resume Next Week
25 April 2018
Climate
View of the UN Bonn Campus on May 16, 2017. UNclimatechange / Flickr
As the 2018 climate talks kick off under the auspices of the UN next week, "business unusual" must be the mantra delegations need heard resoundingly in Bonn, said the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Speaking ahead of the start of the meeting, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, WWF's global climate and energy programme leader, said the window of opportunity to keep global temperature rise below 1.5°C is fast closing.
<p>"It will take an unprecedented effort by governments, non-Party actors and people to keep global temperature rise to below 1.5°C. That's why 2018 has to be the year we step up our climate action. We can no longer afford to keep doing things at the pace and scale we've been doing. Now we need 'business unusual' tactics to drastically scale up our efforts to reduce emissions," he said.<br> <br>The Talanoa Dialogue being championed by the Fiji presidency during this year's climate talks is important because it should inspire countries to look at new ways they can enhance their efforts, said Pulgar-Vidal. This is particularly critical as countries must agree to table revised national climate action plans with the UN by 2020 under the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a>. The national decision-making processes to do so should start now.<br> <br>Pulgar-Vidal also highlighted the role of non-Party actors in contributing toward 'business unusual' action. Cities and business, among many others, are making incredible efforts to align themselves to the Paris agreement goals and we hope the momentum we are seeing, including for the Global Climate Action Summit, taking place in September in San Francisco, triggers deeper commitments from national governments. Already, more than 389 global companies have committed to take action and set science-based targets, he said.<br> <br>The entry into force of the Kigali Amendment of the Montreal Protocol in January next year offers countries another opportunity to scale up action through targets to phase out super greenhouse gases and short-lived pollutants like hydrofluorocarbons.<br> <br>Another indication that countries are serious about their climate action ambitions would be if the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (called the Doha Amendment) could enter into force by COP24. It commits developed countries to reducing emissions in the period before 2020.<br> <br>"The strong take-up of these actions by countries in the coming months will send a clear signal that there is the necessary commitment by governments to step up and do more to reduce emissions," said Pulgar-Vidal.</p>
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</p><div id="6a0aa" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="DA0SBL1576662797"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="988415565021745153" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Michael Bloomberg Pledges $4.5 Million to Help U.S. Meet Paris Climate Commitment https://t.co/sUFrc0ZGc7… https://t.co/DZT2LrAN3U</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/988415565021745153">1524491609.0</a></blockquote></div>
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