Raising Ambition to Reduce International Aviation and Maritime Emissions

A study by the World Resources Institute (WRI) identifies many real-world examples where government policies and sustained technological progress in the United States are creating opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while delivering net economic benefits. "Business leaders are waking up to this reality and it’s time for more U.S. elected officials to do the same,” said Andrew Steer, President and CEO, WRI.

Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate Felipe Calderón joined Buenos Aires Mayor Mauricio Macri and Mexico City Mayor Miguel Ángel Mancera in announcing both the C40 City Bus Declaration of Intent and a Latin American Cities Declaration on the Compact of Mayors.

A new paper from the New Climate Economy shows there is large untapped potential for fuel efficiency gains in both aviation and shipping sectors that would cut costs and reduce emissions. International aviation and shipping have grown dramatically in the last few decades along with their emissions: aviation and shipping now produce 5% of global CO2 emissions, and by 2050, that share could rise to as much as 32%. Much of the potential to reduce emissions in aviation and shipping can be unlocked through existing technologies and practices that leading companies in each sector have already embraced. However, as this new paper shows, market failures and political barriers are hindering progress.

Statement from President Felipe Calderón, Former President of Mexico and Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate:

Multilateral development banks and other development finance institutions can provide the spark to ignite the new growth agenda, writes Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The New Climate Economy project launched in Ethiopia on March 6th, some of the largest media outlets in the count

Former President Felipe Calderon launched the New Climate Economy's "Better Growth, Better Climate Report" in Mexico, along with Helen Mountford, Director of the New Climate Economy and María Amparo Martínez Arroyo, General Director of the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change.

"We welcome this announcement and the fact that Mexico is the first major emerging economy to declare its commitment to a low-carbon future. This is an example for other countries, including developed countries, to follow,” former President Felipe Calderón and Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate said.

A new paper, Implementing effective carbon pricing, from the New Climate Economy shows that carbon pricing works and doesn’t harm the economy. It urges developed and emerging economies, with the G20 in the lead, to commit to introducing carbon prices of roughly comparable levels by 2020.

Today, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon nominated Mexican Ambassador Patricia Espinosa as the next Executive Secretary of the UN Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Former President of Mexico and Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate Felipe Calderón releases the following statement:

Future-smart investments are those that are sustainable, writes Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The climate story is, at its heart, a complex problem of better risk management over long-timeframes, with potentially catastrophic economic consequences from inaction, writes Caio Koch-Weser.

By Sharan Burrow