Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

April 3, 2020

Best path to net zero: Cut short-lived super-pollutants

By M. Molina, V. Ramanathan, D. Zaelke. The climate battle could be lost long before 2050; it might even be lost by 2035. Consequently, it is time for fast climate mitigation, especially in the form of reductions of the short-lived so-called “super-pollutants”.
This article first appeared in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

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June 20, 2019

Study: U.S. Costal Communities Face More Than $400 Billion in Seawall Costs by 2040

Coastal communities in the contiguous U.S. face more than $400 billion in costs over the next 20 years, much of it sooner, to defend coastal communities from inevitable sea-level rise. As things stand, oil and gas companies and other climate polluters are paying none of these costs.

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March 25, 2019

Catastrophic Arctic Warming Predicted Even with Current Paris Pledges

Update & Correction: Following further consultation with global and Arctic climate experts, the UN has issued a revised version of Global Linkages–A graphic look at the changing Arctic. The revised report explains winter temperatures over the Arctic Ocean would increase 3 to 5°C by mid-century.

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November 10, 2018

Montreal Protocol Aims High in Quito to Avoid 1º C of Future Warming

At the conclusion of the annual meeting of the Montreal Protocol, the Parties took their strongest action yet to increase energy efficiency of cooling equipment in parallel with the mandated phase down of HFC refrigerants under the Kigali Amendment

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July 16, 2018

As World Warms, Millions More Need Cooling (and This Could Cause More Warming)

As the world warms up, the growing use of ACs and other cooling equipment will accelerate, and the extra energy needed to power the equipment will itself increase global warming. Two authoritative reports published this week grapple with how to break this vicious circle, and keep people cool without heating the planet.

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November 25, 2017

Montreal Protocol Concludes 30th Anniversary with Robust Financial Replenishment, Progress on Energy Efficiency

At the conclusion of the 30th anniversary Meeting of the Parties of the Montreal Protocol the Parties agreed to a robust three-year replenishment to fund the continuing phase out of HCFCs, and to a separate decision to have the TEAP study how best to integrate energy efficiency with the HFC phasedown under the Kigali Amendment.

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November 17, 2017

Kigali Amendment Reaches Needed Ratifications in Run Up to Montreal Protocol’s 30th Anniversary Meeting Next Week

In the run up to the Montreal Protocol’s 30th anniversary Meeting next week, this afternoon Sweden became the 20th Party to deposit its instrument of ratification to the Kigali Amendment, which ensures that the amendment will enter into force 1 January 2019.

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November 9, 2017

Vatican Pontifical Academy of Sciences Proposes Practical Solutions to Prevent Catastrophic Climate Change

Scalable and practical solutions exist to help preserve the quality of life of future generations in the face of accelerating climate impacts, and with perhaps a decade left to put these into place, the time for climate change action is now.

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September 14, 2017

New Reports Detail Essential Climate Policies Needed to Limit Warming Below 2°Celsius

Two new studies released today find that global temperature increases can be limited to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, as global leaders have pledged through the Paris Agreement, but only if the world quickly pursues three cooling approaches.

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June 14, 2017

Élysée Palace Announces Opening of IGSD Office in Paris

The Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD) became the first climate research group to accept French President Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to France to work together on the fight against climate change.

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May 4, 2017

New strategy needed to cut the rate of global warming in half by 2042 say top scientists

Writing in today's issue of Science, the scientists – members of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition – say that achieving the ambitious goal of slowing warming by 0.5 degree Celsius over the next quarter of a century is “plausible” and would have “many potential benefits” in tackling poverty, improving health and avoiding damage to crops besides reducing climate change.

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October 14, 2016

Nations Agree to Kigali Amendment: Largest Near-Term Temperature Reduction from Single Agreement

Warming caused by one of the six main greenhouse gases will be taken out of the climate system through the Kigali Amendment agreed in the early morning hours today in Rwanda. The amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase out HFCs is the largest temperature reduction ever achieved by a single agreement.

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September 22, 2016

Philanthropic Group Launches World’s Largest Energy Efficiency Investment

Today Bill Gates and other philanthropic foundations announced fast-start funding to maximize energy efficiency in parallel with an ambitious HFC amendment under the Montreal Protocol.

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September 21, 2016

Watch: Reducing HFCs with the world’s most successful environmental treaty

Watch: Reducing HFCs with the world’s most successful environmental treaty

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IGSD works to promote just and sustainable societies and to protect the environment by advancing the understanding, development, and implementation of effective, and accountable systems of governance for sustainable development.

News

17 Jul

Climate-friendly Cooling Could Cut Years of GHG Emissions, Buy Time and Save US$ Trillions: UN

Coordinated international action on energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling could avoid as much as 460 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – roughly equal to eight years of global emissions at 2018 levels – over the next four decades.
9 Jul

New Report Identifies Sources of Environmental Dumping of ACs in African Countries

Environmentally Harmful Dumping of Inefficient and Obsolete Air Conditioners in Africa details the extent of the problem across ten countries in Africa, ultimately providing policymakers with a set of solutions to encourage a transition toward highly-efficient, sustainable cooling technologies.
11 Jun

Webinar: Environmentally Harmful Dumping of Inefficient and Obsolete Air Conditioners in Africa

1 July 2020 • 10 am EDT
21 May

China Releases Public Comment Version of Amendment to the National Regulation on Administration of Ozone-Depleting Substances

On May 21, 2020, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) released a draft regulatory amendment entitled the Regulation on the Administration of Ozone Depleting Substances and Hydrofluorocarbons. Written public comments on the amendment will be received until June 22, 2020, China time.

Publications

Assessment of Climate and Development Benefits of Efficient and Climate Friendly Cooling

Primer on Polar Warming

Well Under 2C: Fast Action Policies to Protect People & Planet from Extreme Climate Change

Primer on Hydrofluorocarbons

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IGSD works to promote just and sustainable societies and to protect the environment by advancing the understanding, development, and implementation of effective, and accountable systems of governance for sustainable development.

Climate-friendly Cooling Could Cut Years of GHG Emissions, Buy Time and Save US$ Trillions: UN

New Report Identifies Sources of Environmental Dumping of ACs in African Countries

Webinar: Environmentally Harmful Dumping of Inefficient and Obsolete Air Conditioners in Africa

China Releases Public Comment Version of Amendment to the National Regulation on Administration of Ozone-Depleting Substances