Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development

September 17, 2021

U.S.- EU Launch Pledge to Cut Super Climate Pollutant Methane

The United States and the European Union launched a global pledge to reduce methane emissions by nearly a third by 2030, as part of a broader effort to increase ambition to address the climate crisis. The launch was announced at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate hosted today by President Biden. This is the first time heads of State have pledged fast action to cut super climate pollutants to meet the 1.5°C temperature target of the Paris Agreement.

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September 15, 2021

Statement on the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer

As the world enters a crucial phase in the battle to combat climate change, International Ozone Day reminds us that the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is not only saving the stratospheric ozone layer and keeping us safe from harmful ultraviolet radiation but is also doing more than any other agreement to slow catastrophic global warming. As we celebrate the achievements of this planet-saving treaty, we also need to realize how much remains to be done.

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May 6, 2021

Cutting Methane Key to Keeping Earth From Warming Itself Beyond Human Control

Aggressively cutting methane emissions is the fastest and most effective way to reduce the rate of warming and keep the global average temperature from breaching the 1.5°C barrier above preindustrial levels, according to the Global Methane Assessment released today by UNEP and the CCAC. The Assessment calculates that available mitigation measures can cut emissions from human activities by 45 percent and avoid nearly 0.3 °C of warming by the 2040s.

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April 22, 2021

World leaders to US: “Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win”

Most world leaders who spoke this morning at President Joe Biden’s Leaders’ Summit welcomed the U.S. back to the climate fight. Many world leaders echoed President Biden’s science goal of limiting warming to 1.5 °C, and many shared the president’s focus on the decade of action to 2030.

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April 16, 2021

China to Accept Kigali Amendment on HFCs and Strengthen Action on Other Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases

In a virtual summit with President Macron of France and Chancellor Merkel of Germany, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced China will accept the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. President Xi also mentioned China’s intention to strengthen the control of non-CO2 greenhouse gases.

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January 27, 2021

President Biden to Submit Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol for Senate Ratification

President Biden directed the State Dept. to prepare a transmittal package to the Senate for the ratification of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down potent HFCs. “President Biden knows the Senate better than any president before him, and will be using the advice and consent process to build bipartisan support for this and future climate action, which the American people are demanding,” said IGSD President, Durwood Zaelke.

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January 8, 2021

Pandemic Relief Bill Mandates HFC Phasedown in Compliance with Montreal Protocol’s Kigali Amendment

In a huge win for the environment and American businesses, the Consolidated Appropriations Act that was signed into law on 27 December 2020 phases down potent greenhouse gases HFCs. Reducing HFC refrigerants could avoid up to 0.5°C of future warming. Climate benefits could double with parallel improvements in energy efficiency of cooling equipment.

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July 17, 2020

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

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.

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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

19 Jan

Why the Tonga volcanic eruption and tsunami is a sign of the fragility of the environment (interview)

IGSD President Durwood Zaelke comments on the Tonga volcanic eruption and answers the question, “are we being brainwashed into believing the climate crisis isn’t as serious as people like you keep telling us it is?”
11 Jan

China Issues Policy to Control New Production Capacity for Selected HFCs

On 28 December 2021, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, National Development and Reform Commission, and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly released a new policy document entitled the Circular on Strictly Controlling the First Batch of HFC Production Construction Projects. According to the Circular, as of 1 January 2022, it is prohibited to construct or expand the production facilities for five categories of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), including HFC-32, HFC-134a, HFC-125, HFC-143a and HFC-245fa, for controlled usages such as refrigerants and blowing agents.
7 Jan

Status of Patents and Legal Challenges: Patents Related to The use of HFO-1234yf in Auto Air Conditioning

A new paper reviewes the status of patents granted on HFO-1234yf in automotive air conditioning in the US, Europe, and China, covering the largest automotive manufacturing regions in the world, primarily focusing on patents on the use of HFO-1234yf in automobiles, as opposed to patents on the manufacture of HFO-1234yf. This paper updates and expands upon a preceding publication co-authored by Stephen Seidel of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions and Christine R. Ethridge of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC, published in July 2016 and titled “Status of Legal Challenges: Patents Related to the Use of HFO-1234yf in Auto Air Conditioning”.
20 Dec 21

Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law – Ozone Layer, International Protection

The Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law’s updated Ozone Layer, International Protection (2021) entry, by IGSD’s Dr. Stephen O. Andersen, Durwood Zaelke, Kristen N Taddonio, Richard Ferris, and Dr. Nancy J. Sherman, details the ins and outs of what is widely considered the world’s most successful environmental treaty, the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. The entry provides detailed analysis of the Protocol’s objectives, chemicals covered, adjustments and amendments, assessment panels, and many other aspects. The entry is available for open access.

Publications

Background Note: Methane Removal

Background Note: The Need for Fast Near-Term Climate Mitigation to Slow Feedbacks and Tipping Points

Background Note: Debt-for-Climate Swaps

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

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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.

Why the Tonga volcanic eruption and tsunami is a sign of the fragility of the environment (interview)

China Issues Policy to Control New Production Capacity for Selected HFCs

Status of Patents and Legal Challenges: Patents Related to The use of HFO-1234yf in Auto Air Conditioning

Max Planck Encyclopedias of International Law – Ozone Layer, International Protection