by Aimee Barnes, State of the Planet
Highlights
- Senator Kamala Harris’ “Climate Plan for the People” platform during her Presidential campaign highlighted the creation of an international coalition to manage the transition away from fossil fuel production
- In order to reach the best-case climate scenario as proposed by the Paris Agreement, the world will need to adapt a rapid phaseout of net global carbon dioxide emissions and deep reductions greenhouse gases
- The GHG emissions contained in present estimates of global fossil fuel reserves equal three times the “carbon budget” and burning these reserves could add up to 2,900 Gt of CO2 to the atmosphere
- a third of oil reserves, half of gas reserves, and over 80 percent of current coal reserves globally would need to remain unused from 2010 to 2050 even to meet the less ambitious 2°C target.
- Many countries around the globe have implemented limits on supplying fossil fuels by banning drilling and oil reserve exploration
- Canada, Norway, and Spain are some of the countries working towards a just transition of labor for their fossil fuel workers
- Tackling a managed decline and just transition as a global collective has the potential to be more impactful on managing economic impacts of the transition away from fossil fuels
- Harris’ climate plan proposed convening major emitters in early 2021, focusing on climate change, the global economy, and a worldwide phase out of fossil fuels
- Potential declarations and commitments from the plan could be: planning for work force transitions, accelerating away from the fossil fuel economy, the requirement need to reach a 1.5 degree C scenario
Scientists are increasingly warning that to avoid catastrophic impacts from climate change, the world’s governments must implement massive reductions of warming emissions and begin a drawdown of greenhouse gases (GHG) from the atmosphere over the decade ahead. For a safe and healthy future for all, endorse the Climate-Safe California Platform to implement scalable solutions that can reverse the climate crisis.
Read More: https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2020/08/20/kamala-harris-coalition-just-transition/
Nina Turner
Energy Programs and Communications CoordinatorJanina is a graduate of the Energy Management and Design program at Sonoma State University with experience in non-profits that specialize in sustainability and volunteerism.
