News & Reports
China's new five-year plan aims to meet ambitious climate and energy targets
With the adoption of China’s 12th Five-Year Plan, China’s leaders have declared that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is an integral part of their economic strategy. “The Race Is On: China Kick-Starts Its Clean Economy,” the latest ClimateWorks Network Knowledge Series, outlines the steps China is taking to meet its climate and energy targets, and suggests ways to address the challenges.
ClimateWorks Foundation's 2010 Annual Report
While world leaders struggle to bolster their nations’ economies, the planet is experiencing the early warning signs of climate change. But many nations are discovering that the policies that reduce CO2 emissions—through increased energy efficiency, fuel economy, and clean energy—can also foster innovation, economic growth, and job creation.
Delayed action on climate to result in irreversible change and high costs
The physics of Earth’s natural systems show that a delay—of even a decade—in reducing CO2 emissions will lock in large-scale, irreversible changes. If carbon dioxide emissions do not begin to trend down this decade, it will be nearly impossible to stabilize the climate at any acceptable level.
“The Costs of Delay,” co-authored by Hal Harvey and Sonia Aggarwal, demonstrates that delaying action will escalate the risks and multiply the costs of dealing with climate change. Harvey and Aggarwal argue that the world has a window of about 10 years to bend carbon emissions curves downward and avert a climate catastrophe.
Practical Energy Plan Act of 2011 could result in 12 percent reduction in U.S. GHG emissions in 2030
This preliminary analysis illustrates national impacts of the Practical Energy Plan Act of 2011 as introduced by Senator Lugar on June 30, 2011. The aim of this analysis is to provide a detailed, consistent fact base by quantifying the economic impact of policy options and providing a common analytic approach for assessing those options. ClimateWorks takes no position on legislation.
Sustainable urban planning: a blueprint for model Chinese cities
The world’s next generation of cities will need to overcome extreme challenges posed by population growth, congestion, and energy insecurity. China, experiencing the greatest urban population boom in human history, has already taken the first step in building sustainable cities by prioritizing low-carbon and eco cities. To succeed, these efforts must be guided by sustainable urban planning. This report, published by ClimateWorks Foundation, Calthorpe Associates, the China Sustainable Energy Program, and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, synthesizes the best practices in urban planning from around the world into eight quantifiable principles.
Guangzhou's cutting edge BRT wins 2011 Sustainable Transport Award
Guangzhou, one of the fastest growing cities in the world, recently received the 2011 Sustainable Transport Award for its cutting edge BRT system, which now carries 800,000 passengers a day and connects seamlessly with the city's metro and bike-share systems. See the buses in action and learn about the system's benefits directly from its riders in this new video from Streetfilms and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, which features interviews with ITDP staff.
Shift to energy efficiency in India could end blackouts, save money, and boost GDP
ClimateWorks’ Network partners have come up with a solution that could eliminate India’s crippling blackouts, boost its GDP by roughly half a trillion dollars, slash its greenhouse gas emissions, and save money for consumers. “The Hundred Billion Dollar Bonus: Global Energy Efficiency Lessons From India” explains how shifting to currently available energy efficient appliances and other technologies could help India achieve these gains in just a few years.
European parking policy takes a u-turn
European cities are reaping the rewards of innovative parking policies, including revitalized town centers; big reductions in car use; drops in air pollution and rising quality of urban life, according to Europe’s Parking U-Turn: From Accommodation to Regulation, published January 19th by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. Download the report here.