Deep Decarbonization Pathways’ Post

This week, Matthew Paterson of the Sustainable Consumption Institute has published a new article titled: Embracing the politics of transformation: Policy action as “battle-settlement events” In summary: 🔸This article contributes to the focus on political dimensions of sustainability transformations, particularly climate change 🔸 It introduces the term ‘battle settlement events’ to describe this concept 🔸 The term helps avoid containing or avoiding political processes in transitions research 🔸 Political dynamics are often framed as 'policy coalitions' or 'policy feedbacks' 🔸 Battle settlement events focus on the sequence of events shaping future interventions and capture the irregular processes of real-world transitions 🔸 Two illustrative cases are used: the UK’s coal phase-out and the rise of renewables in Australia Have a read of the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eST-HPZF

"Cost of environmental damage will be six times higher than price of limiting global heating to 2C, study finds." So even if we miss with 5 of 6 invested $, we should still be in the plus. That is almost like in VC. ;-) With more at stake. Guardian article: https://lnkd.in/esZZkeRp The Nature paper it discusses: https://lnkd.in/eWvJMsvC

👥 Does your community support climate action as much as you? 🤔 Mitigating climate change requires global cooperation, yet global data on individuals’ willingness to act remain scarce. In this study researchers conducted survey across 125 countries, interviewing nearly 130,000 individuals on their support of climate action. Findings reveal widespread support: 👉 69% of the global population expresses a willingness to contribute 1% of their personal income💰 👉 86% endorse pro-climate social norms 🚋 👉 89% demand intensified political action ✊ However, researchers found individuals around the globe systematically underestimate the willingness of their fellow citizens to act. Read the paper here 📑 : https://lnkd.in/drTjDvp5

« In the face of such colossal danger, why is the world’s response so slow and inadequate? The IPCC experts overwhelmingly pointed to one barrier: lack of political will. Almost three-quarters of the respondents cited this factor, with 60% also blaming vested corporate interests. “[Climate change] is an existential threat to humanity and [lack of] political will and vested corporate interests are preventing us addressing it. I do worry about the future my children are inheriting,” said Lorraine Whitmarsh, at the University of Bath in the UK. Lack of money was only a concern for 27% of the scientists, suggesting most believe the finance exists to fund the green transition. Few respondents thought that a lack of green technology or scientific understanding of the issue were a problem – 6% and 4% respectively. “All of humanity needs to come together and cooperate – this is a monumental opportunity to put differences aside and work together,” said Louis Verchot, at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia. “Unfortunately climate change has become a political wedge issue … I wonder how deep the crisis needs to become before we all start rowing in the same direction.” » By Damian Carrington Environment editor Wed 8 May 2024 10.00 BST

This article highlights the need for sustainability professionals to have keen communication skills to get the same message across many different ideologies, beliefs, priorities, worldviews, etc. Reducing climate change risks and protecting environmental services is a benefit to all (our lives depend in it 😊) but using certain “buzzwords” or “jargon” will cause many to shut down and become apathetic to the topic. Two great books come to mind that have improved my communication skills and I highly recommend to fellow sustainability professionals: Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe A New Psychology for Sustainability Leadership: The Hidden Power of Ecological Worldviews by Steve Schein, PhD Feel free to drop more book recommendations in the comments!!

This study is immensely important! A representative survey across 125 countries was conducted, interviewing nearly 130,000 individuals. The findings reveal widespread support for climate action. Notably, 69% of the global population expresses a willingness to contribute 1% of their personal income, 86% endorse pro-climate social norms and 89% demand intensified political action. The researchers also concluded that ”the world is in a state of pluralistic ignorance, wherein individuals around the globe systematically underestimate the willingness of their fellow citizens to act. This perception gap, combined with individuals showing conditionally cooperative behaviour, poses challenges to further climate action. Therefore, raising awareness about the broad global support for climate action becomes critically important in promoting a unified response to climate change.”https://lnkd.in/dWWX9idq

🌍📊 Integrating a Just Transition into Climate Risk Assessments 1️⃣ The energy transition is impacting people and the planet—think job losses in high-emitting sectors and renewable energy projects affecting ecosystems 🌿👷♂️ 2️⃣ Current climate risk tools rarely assess social considerations, and when they do, they're often inaccurate and inconsistent ⚖️🔍 3️⃣ We need enhanced metrics and tools to measure the human rights impacts of climate actions. This can “play a pivotal role in guiding companies towards a truly inclusive and equitable approach to business practices and can facilitate target setting and progress tracking”, says United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) 💼🌱 Read more at: https://lnkd.in/enBRwaYH

The damage function is one of the inputs to modelling the “social cost of carbon”, a measure policymakers use to gauge whether investments to reduce climate change are worthwhile. Different methodologies produce wildly different answers. In 2022 America’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed revising up its estimate of the social cost of carbon from $51 to $190. Messrs Känzig’s and Bilal’s calculations produce a figure more than five times higher, at $1,056 a ton of carbon-dioxide equivalent. Thus they calculate that it would be worthwhile for America to pursue radical decarbonization even if no other country joined in. #climatechange #climateeconomics #climatetech

Great overview on applying BeSci to Climate Change issues "Behavioural science has yielded insights about the actions of individuals, particularly as consumers, that affect climate change. Behaviours in other spheres of life remain understudied. In this Perspective, we propose a collaborative research agenda that integrates behavioural science insights across multiple disciplines." https://lnkd.in/gS_sTV2f.

A survey of nearly 130,000 people from across 125 countries has found that 69% of respondents would be willing to spend 1% of their personal income in support of climate action. The survey, which was conducted by a team of researchers from universities in Germany and Denmark and published in the Nature Climate Change journal, also found that 86% of people endorse pro-climate social norms and 89% demand increased political action. Despite these strong results however, the survey showed that people significantly underestimate the willingness of their fellow citizens to act, which can hinder cooperation and increase pessimism. The researchers therefore recommend that raising awareness of the broad global support for climate action is needed to promote a unified response. https://lnkd.in/drTjDvp5