[GWSG] Policy tips; wasted labor; energy forecast; 30% by 2035; droughts to come; integrated climate policy

[Tilley, Al]

1. An article in Climate Policy identifies “Upward-scaling tipping cascades to meet climate goals: plausible grounds for hope.” Governmental policy changes are conventionally guided by allocative efficiency—“making the best use of fixed resources at a given moment in time.” Attention to how tipping points can trigger cascades of change—the dynamic efficiency of policy—can lead to more effective policy choice. Examples are the way a change in auto taxation in Norway was adjusted to equalize the cost of ownership between gas and electric vehicles. The increased production of EVs led to cost savings which will make continuation of the policy unnecessary. Favorable quotas for EVs in California and elsewhere can spur investment in the auto industry which will have the same effect. Another example is the way subsidies favoring the development of renewable energy are leading to cascades which render subsidies unnecessary. The article ends with the observation that attention to carbon pricing alone can miss opportunities to leverage policy changes which support tipping points.   https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2020.1870097?utm_campaign=Carbon+Brief+Daily+Briefing&utm_content=20210111&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue+Daily&

2. The Trump administration worked hard on behalf of the fossil fuel industry to combat the transition to renewable energy. The renewables won. https://cleantechnica.com/2021/01/10/trump-proved-that-clean-energy-cant-be-beat/

3. The US Energy Information Administration foresees that 70% of the country’s new energy capacity in the coming year will be from solar and wind, 14% from nuclear and batteries, and 16% from commercial methane. https://climatecrocks.com/2021/01/11/eia-most-new-generation-will-be-renewable-in-2021/

4. The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People has committed to protect at least 30% of the earth’s land and marine surface by the end of the decade in the service of preserving biodiversity. The UK, France, and Costa Rica cochair the coalition of over fifty countries. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/11/50-countries-commit-to-protection-of-30-of-earths-land-and-oceans

5. 3% of land area is now in drought; by 2100, assuming current rates of heating and water management practices, that will be 7%. Natural land storage of water will decrease in 2/3 of the world. The southern hemisphere will suffer disproportionately.  https://phys.org/news/2021-01-climate-people-extreme-droughts.html

6. Bill Ritter, who followed an integrated energy policy as governor of Colorado, observes that Biden is also following integrated action on a much larger scale to deal with the climate crisis. He identifies five areas of emphasis.  https://theconversation.com/biden-plans-to-fight-climate-change-in-a-way-no-u-s-president-has-done-before-152419?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20newsletter%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20January%2012%202021%20-%201832117824&utm_content=Daily%20newsletter%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20January%2012%202021%20-%201832117824+CID_fa54e6b040df28d2c5b1d16c0f804820&utm_source=campaign_monitor_us&utm_term=Biden%20plans%20to%20fight%20climate%20change%20in%20a%20way%20no%20US%20president%20has%20done%20before

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