- February 21, 2023
EU, UK, Brazil, Indonesia Call For Collective Action By G20 Nations to Accelerate and Scale Climate Action
At the official G20 prelude to the World Sustainable Development Summit 2023, co-hosted by The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI) and the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD), key ambassadors from G20 countries addressed the challenges and opportunities for collective action to accelerate and scale climate action and deploy climate finance in this decisive decade.
- September 21, 2022
US Senate Votes to Ratify Kigali Amendment to Phase Down Super Polluting HFCs
In a major victory for the planet, the US Senate voted to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down super climate pollutants called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), used primarily as refrigerants in air conditioners and other cooling equipment. The Kigali Amendment needed the approval of a two-thirds super-majority of the chamber. It is the first climate treaty to clear the Senate in decades.
- June 17, 2022
The US – EU Announce Critical Implementation of the Global Methane Pledge for Oil & Gas
At the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) hosted by President Biden the United States, the European Union, and 11 countries announced the Global Methane Pledge Energy Pathway to catalyze methane emissions reductions in the oil and gas sector, advancing both climate progress and energy security.
- May 23, 2022
Time to Broaden Strategy to Avert Catastrophic Climate Change
Slashing emissions of carbon dioxide, by itself, cannot prevent catastrophic global warming. But a new study concludes that a strategy that simultaneously reduces emissions of other largely neglected climate pollutants would cut the rate of global warming in half and give the world a fighting chance to keep the climate safe for humanity.
- April 4, 2022
IPCC AR6 WGIII Mitigation of Climate Change Reaffirms Central Role of Methane Mitigation to Keep the Climate Safe
The report reaffirms the only mitigation pathways that keep 1.5°C warming within reach with limited overshoot require cutting methane by at least 30 percent by the end of this decade. This is the goal of the Global Methane Pledge launched by the US and the EU last November at COP26 and already endorsed by over 111 countries.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
-
8 May
Policy Developments Highlight China’s Efforts to Balance Energy Security and Carbon Neutrality Goals in the Energy Sector
In 2020, China announced the goals to peak its carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Subsequently, in 2021 and 2022, severe power shortage incidents heightened China’s concerns over energy security. China has since issued a number of policy documents aiming to address the balance between energy security and its carbon emissions and carbon neutrality goals. This briefing aims to assist IGSD partners and climate champions in understanding the dynamics of reaching China’s climate goals. -
22 Mar
Inter-American Court of Human Rights Will Issue Advisory Opinion to Guide States on their Obligations to Address the Climate Emergency
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights agreed to the request to issue an advisory opinion on Climate Emergency and Human Rights under Article 64(1) of the American Convention on Human Rights. The request for the advisory opinion, submitted to the Court on 9 January 2023 by the Republic of Chile and the Republic of Colombia, seeks to clarify the scope of State obligations to respond to the climate emergency within the framework of international human rights law. -
21 Feb
EU, UK, Brazil, Indonesia Call For Collective Action By G20 Nations to Accelerate and Scale Climate Action
At the official G20 prelude to the World Sustainable Development Summit 2023, co-hosted by The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI) and the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development (IGSD), key ambassadors from G20 countries addressed the challenges and opportunities for collective action to accelerate and scale climate action and deploy climate finance in this decisive decade. -
17 Jan
China Announces Progress in Methane Monitoring and Evaluation In Preparation for the Release of Its National Action Plan on Methane
During its January 2023 press conference, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) highlighted progress on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas monitoring and evaluation pilot projects aimed at answering critical questions on “what to measure,” “where to measure,” and “how to measure.”
Connect
