♻️ Will a greener economy be more just?
In 2007-2008, America’s political lexicon acquired a new term – the Green New Deal. Like the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt reanimated the US economy after the Great Depression, the Green New Deal was supposed to respond to the challenges that faced the world due to climate change. The discussion of this resumed with renewed force a decade later when the Green Wing began to take shape in the Democratic Party. In February 2019, a draft resolution on the Green New Deal was sent to the US Senate. It suggested bringing greenhouse emissions in the US to zero within a decade. The main ideas aimed at reaching this goal were renunciation of fossil fuels and an increase in resource efficiency. Even though the ideas in the bill enjoyed support from a number of prominent Democrats, the Senate vote was a heavy defeat for its initiators. It became obvious that America was not yet ready for the Green New Deal, even at the declaration level.
Meanwhile, the positions of Green parties were growing stronger in Europe. In May 2019, they achieved impressive success in the European Parliament (EP) elections. Ursula von der Leyen, who was elected President of the European Commission in July, made the climate agenda a priority. The document, The European Green Deal, was published on December 11, ten days after she assumed office. The stated goal is to make the EU climate neutral with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The EU will move towards this goal by shifting to renewable energy sources for electricity generation, increasing housing energy efficiency and creating “smart infrastructure.” The price tag for the programme is a trillion euros in the first decade. The symbolic significance is as follows: the EU declares itself a global leader in promoting the climate agenda and sets new standards for cooperation between the state, business and society in countering climate change.
In the next few years it will implement a large-scale programme under which companies that use green technology will be entitled to billions in subsidies whereas those that do not comply with toughening environmental demands will have to sustain both financial and market losses.
🌱Recently we launched a new project “Climate and Politics”. The second part of it will discuss the impact of the green agenda on businesses.
#climate_and_politics #climate #climatechange #gogreen #politics #EU #globalwarming #sustainabledevelopment
In 2007-2008, America’s political lexicon acquired a new term – the Green New Deal. Like the New Deal of President Franklin D. Roosevelt reanimated the US economy after the Great Depression, the Green New Deal was supposed to respond to the challenges that faced the world due to climate change. The discussion of this resumed with renewed force a decade later when the Green Wing began to take shape in the Democratic Party. In February 2019, a draft resolution on the Green New Deal was sent to the US Senate. It suggested bringing greenhouse emissions in the US to zero within a decade. The main ideas aimed at reaching this goal were renunciation of fossil fuels and an increase in resource efficiency. Even though the ideas in the bill enjoyed support from a number of prominent Democrats, the Senate vote was a heavy defeat for its initiators. It became obvious that America was not yet ready for the Green New Deal, even at the declaration level.
Meanwhile, the positions of Green parties were growing stronger in Europe. In May 2019, they achieved impressive success in the European Parliament (EP) elections. Ursula von der Leyen, who was elected President of the European Commission in July, made the climate agenda a priority. The document, The European Green Deal, was published on December 11, ten days after she assumed office. The stated goal is to make the EU climate neutral with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The EU will move towards this goal by shifting to renewable energy sources for electricity generation, increasing housing energy efficiency and creating “smart infrastructure.” The price tag for the programme is a trillion euros in the first decade. The symbolic significance is as follows: the EU declares itself a global leader in promoting the climate agenda and sets new standards for cooperation between the state, business and society in countering climate change.
In the next few years it will implement a large-scale programme under which companies that use green technology will be entitled to billions in subsidies whereas those that do not comply with toughening environmental demands will have to sustain both financial and market losses.
🌱Recently we launched a new project “Climate and Politics”. The second part of it will discuss the impact of the green agenda on businesses.
#climate_and_politics #climate #climatechange #gogreen #politics #EU #globalwarming #sustainabledevelopment
Valdai Club
Why a Greener Economy Will Hardly Be More Just
How the climate agenda is changing world politics and our lives
🧊🌳Climate change is one of the greatest challenge of this century.
Climate change had ushered wide range of environmental challenges and affected our economic and social systems. These impacts of climate change are likely to become more severe over next few decades and thus collective efforts to build a resilience system at global and national levels are required.
1️⃣ Firstly, we need to adapt to natural climate variations as well as long-term climate change by improving delivery of basic climate products and services.
2️⃣ Secondly, the concentration of CO2 is now 410 ppm, which is almost 30 percent higher than at any time during past 800,000 years and hence urgent global actions are required for its mitigation.
3️⃣ Another aspect: we need to keep in mind is that the warming is causing release of methane from permafrost of Arctic, Greenland and Tibetan Plateau and likely to further increase temperature of the world which in turn will lead to more thawing, in a feedback loop.
The knowledge about climate change has been quite sound, however, our understanding about its impacts on water resources, agriculture and health, etc. is still limited.
👉 Nayak Shailesh, Director of National Institute of Advanced Studies (Bengaluru), writes about India's response to climate change and about the importance of international cooperation in this field.
#India #climate #climatechange #globalwarming
Climate change had ushered wide range of environmental challenges and affected our economic and social systems. These impacts of climate change are likely to become more severe over next few decades and thus collective efforts to build a resilience system at global and national levels are required.
1️⃣ Firstly, we need to adapt to natural climate variations as well as long-term climate change by improving delivery of basic climate products and services.
2️⃣ Secondly, the concentration of CO2 is now 410 ppm, which is almost 30 percent higher than at any time during past 800,000 years and hence urgent global actions are required for its mitigation.
3️⃣ Another aspect: we need to keep in mind is that the warming is causing release of methane from permafrost of Arctic, Greenland and Tibetan Plateau and likely to further increase temperature of the world which in turn will lead to more thawing, in a feedback loop.
The knowledge about climate change has been quite sound, however, our understanding about its impacts on water resources, agriculture and health, etc. is still limited.
👉 Nayak Shailesh, Director of National Institute of Advanced Studies (Bengaluru), writes about India's response to climate change and about the importance of international cooperation in this field.
#India #climate #climatechange #globalwarming
Valdai Club
The Climate Change Challenge
Climate change is one of the greatest challenge of this century. The climate system of the Earth behaves as a single, interlinked and self-regulating system. The mass and energy transfer between and among its components; atmosphere, ocean, geosphere, cryosphere…
🌳🌐 The world’s leading think tanks are unanimous that hydrogen will become a global energy carrier in the next 10-30 years.
The reason is simple: a chemical element used for decades is now becoming more than just an ordinary “industrial gas” or a raw material for the chemical industry — the development of a hydrogen economy is now regarded as a necessary condition to achieve the Paris Agreement goals and to prevent the catastrophic consequences of global climate change.
Seventeen countries have already published their hydrogen strategies, and more than 20 have begun to develop them.
In Russia, the government began to investigate a hydrogen economy in 2020, and by the beginning of 2022 Russia may publish its own hydrogen strategy. Hydrogen export is still being called the main priority for the hydrogen economy development in Russia.
It is a shift in the focus of discussions from the export of hydrogen to the full integration of the hydrogen economy into the country’s long-term development strategy that will allow Russia to realise its potential in this area, writes Yuriy Melnikov, Ph.D., Senior Analyst, Energy Centre, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO.
🔗 Export of Hydrogen From Russia: A Balance Between Hype and Opportunities
#climate #hydrogen #hydrogeneconomy
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
The reason is simple: a chemical element used for decades is now becoming more than just an ordinary “industrial gas” or a raw material for the chemical industry — the development of a hydrogen economy is now regarded as a necessary condition to achieve the Paris Agreement goals and to prevent the catastrophic consequences of global climate change.
Seventeen countries have already published their hydrogen strategies, and more than 20 have begun to develop them.
In Russia, the government began to investigate a hydrogen economy in 2020, and by the beginning of 2022 Russia may publish its own hydrogen strategy. Hydrogen export is still being called the main priority for the hydrogen economy development in Russia.
It is a shift in the focus of discussions from the export of hydrogen to the full integration of the hydrogen economy into the country’s long-term development strategy that will allow Russia to realise its potential in this area, writes Yuriy Melnikov, Ph.D., Senior Analyst, Energy Centre, Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO.
🔗 Export of Hydrogen From Russia: A Balance Between Hype and Opportunities
#climate #hydrogen #hydrogeneconomy
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Valdai Club
Export of Hydrogen From Russia: A Balance Between Hype and Opportunities
It is a shift in the focus of discussions from the export of hydrogen to the full integration of the hydrogen economy into the country’s long-term development strategy that will allow Russia to realise its potential in this area, writes Yuriy Melnikov, Ph.D.…
🌡🌐 Concentrations of the main greenhouse gases — carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide — have again reached record levels in 2021.
The annual increase in methane concentration was the highest on record. The atmospheric levels of these three gases continue to rise in 2022.
We prepared an infographic on global warming. Follow this link to see the full infographic.
#valdai_infographics #climate
@valdai_club
The annual increase in methane concentration was the highest on record. The atmospheric levels of these three gases continue to rise in 2022.
We prepared an infographic on global warming. Follow this link to see the full infographic.
#valdai_infographics #climate
@valdai_club
⏰ TODAY at 11:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club will host an expert discussion on the environmental agenda and the results of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai.
❓What will the outcome of COP28 mean in practice?
❓How realistic is the adopted course in the medium term?
❓How will oil-producing countries react?
❓What will Russia’s position be?
❓How will the current geopolitical situation affect the environmental agenda?
Participants in the discussion will try to answer these and other questions.
Links to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, X (formerly Twitter), VKontakte, Telegram and Dzen.
#GlobalAlternatives #COP28 #climate #ClimateChange
🗣 🗣 🗣
❓What will the outcome of COP28 mean in practice?
❓How realistic is the adopted course in the medium term?
❓How will oil-producing countries react?
❓What will Russia’s position be?
❓How will the current geopolitical situation affect the environmental agenda?
Participants in the discussion will try to answer these and other questions.
Links to the live broadcast of the discussion will be posted on all online platforms of the Valdai Club: on the website, X (formerly Twitter), VKontakte, Telegram and Dzen.
#GlobalAlternatives #COP28 #climate #ClimateChange
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UPD: The livestream is over. The video of the discussion is available via the same link. Stay tuned!
🎥 LIVE: at 11:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), we are starting an expert discussion on the environmental agenda and the results of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai.
https://vk.com/video-214192832_456239159
#GlobalAlternatives #COP28 #climate #ClimateChange
🗣 🗣 🗣
https://vk.com/video-214192832_456239159
#GlobalAlternatives #COP28 #climate #ClimateChange
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Vk
LIVE: The Results of the COP28 Climate Conference in Dubai. An Expert Discussion
On January 24 at 11:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club will host an expert discussion on the environmental agenda and the results of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai. More: https://valdaiclub.com/multimedia/video/the-results-of-the-cop28-climate…
🏭 COP28: Towards a Just Energy Transition?
On January 24, 2024, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion on the environmental agenda and the results of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai. The moderator was Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Club.
💬 Igor Makarov, head of the Department of World Economy and Head of the Laboratory for the Economics of Climate Change at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, who participated in COP28, called the issue of abandoning fossil fuels “the main drama of the conference.” The main result, in his opinion, is that it was possible to reach a compromise, called the “UAE consensus”. This compromise consists, firstly, in the fact that the parties agreed on softer language, providing for a “movement away” from fossil fuels instead of a “total rejection”. Second, a clause recognizing the role of “transition fuels” in facilitating the energy transition was added to the text of the final document. What exactly we are talking about is not explained, but traditionally such fuel means gas. Third, the final formulations mentioned a variety of channels for reducing emissions, which fully reflects the principle of technological neutrality promoted by Russia. Fourth, the final document emphasizes that the fight against climate change and the move towards carbon neutrality must be carried out in an equitable and fair manner. This would allow poorer countries to link emissions reduction targets to international aid.
💬 Yakov Kuzyakov, head of the departments of forest soil science and agro-soil science at the University of Göttingen (Germany), noted that although the transition to renewable sources will occur, there are some areas of both industry and transport where it is impossible. A completely fair solution in this area is also impossible — the economic interests of different countries are too different, and a quick and easy replacement of energy sources with alternative ones is hardly feasible. Speaking about the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by artificial and natural ecosystems, Kuzyakov noted the importance in this process of plantations that are intensively used for timber production. Overall, he suggested that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will continue to rise in the coming decades and, accordingly, temperatures will rise.
💬 Francine Mestrum, president of the NGO Global Social Justice and member of the board of the Belgian CETRI (Centre Tricontinental), dedicated her speech to the political conflict in Western Europe between farmers protesting government climate measures that threaten their usual way of life, and the environmental movement. Far right forces that deny climate change are on the farmers’ side. Against this background, the standard policies of progressive and green parties, accustomed to calling on voters to give up their usual comfort for the sake of a better future, turn out to be ineffective. In today’s Europe, no one is ready to make sacrifices without compensation.
💬 Elena Maslova, senior researcher at the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO University under the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and senior researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, raised the question of how the fight against climate change is managed. Although a kind of “green consensus” was formed in the world, claiming the status of a moral and ethical imperative, and no one doubts that climate change is an ontological threat, countries independently choose their approaches and their own paths to achieve climate neutrality. During the summit in Dubai, an attempt was made to shake this status quo and develop a unified paradigm.
https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/cop28-towards-a-just-energy-transition/
#GlobalAlternatives #COP28 #climate #ClimateChange
🗣 🗣 🗣
On January 24, 2024, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion on the environmental agenda and the results of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai. The moderator was Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Club.
💬 Igor Makarov, head of the Department of World Economy and Head of the Laboratory for the Economics of Climate Change at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, who participated in COP28, called the issue of abandoning fossil fuels “the main drama of the conference.” The main result, in his opinion, is that it was possible to reach a compromise, called the “UAE consensus”. This compromise consists, firstly, in the fact that the parties agreed on softer language, providing for a “movement away” from fossil fuels instead of a “total rejection”. Second, a clause recognizing the role of “transition fuels” in facilitating the energy transition was added to the text of the final document. What exactly we are talking about is not explained, but traditionally such fuel means gas. Third, the final formulations mentioned a variety of channels for reducing emissions, which fully reflects the principle of technological neutrality promoted by Russia. Fourth, the final document emphasizes that the fight against climate change and the move towards carbon neutrality must be carried out in an equitable and fair manner. This would allow poorer countries to link emissions reduction targets to international aid.
💬 Yakov Kuzyakov, head of the departments of forest soil science and agro-soil science at the University of Göttingen (Germany), noted that although the transition to renewable sources will occur, there are some areas of both industry and transport where it is impossible. A completely fair solution in this area is also impossible — the economic interests of different countries are too different, and a quick and easy replacement of energy sources with alternative ones is hardly feasible. Speaking about the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by artificial and natural ecosystems, Kuzyakov noted the importance in this process of plantations that are intensively used for timber production. Overall, he suggested that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will continue to rise in the coming decades and, accordingly, temperatures will rise.
💬 Francine Mestrum, president of the NGO Global Social Justice and member of the board of the Belgian CETRI (Centre Tricontinental), dedicated her speech to the political conflict in Western Europe between farmers protesting government climate measures that threaten their usual way of life, and the environmental movement. Far right forces that deny climate change are on the farmers’ side. Against this background, the standard policies of progressive and green parties, accustomed to calling on voters to give up their usual comfort for the sake of a better future, turn out to be ineffective. In today’s Europe, no one is ready to make sacrifices without compensation.
💬 Elena Maslova, senior researcher at the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO University under the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and senior researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, raised the question of how the fight against climate change is managed. Although a kind of “green consensus” was formed in the world, claiming the status of a moral and ethical imperative, and no one doubts that climate change is an ontological threat, countries independently choose their approaches and their own paths to achieve climate neutrality. During the summit in Dubai, an attempt was made to shake this status quo and develop a unified paradigm.
https://valdaiclub.com/events/posts/articles/cop28-towards-a-just-energy-transition/
#GlobalAlternatives #COP28 #climate #ClimateChange
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Valdai Club
COP28: Towards a Just Energy Transition?
On January 24, 2024, the Valdai Club hosted an expert discussion on the environmental agenda and the results of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai. The moderator was Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Club.