This briefing aims to highlight some of the key areas where the climate legislation in Congress falls short and outlines how Obama and the US can do more to deliver deeper emission cuts by harnessing the potential of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Executive summary: With the start of the Copenhagen Summit set to start in early December, Greenpeace and the rest of the world watches and waits to see if this really “is a new day… a new era” on climate change and if Obama is the leader he has promised he would be.
Leadership means guiding the world toward a means a strong, legally binding climate agreement. Failure to agree risks locking the planet into catastrophic, irreversible climate change. An effective deal would include:
1. A commitment from developed countries to reduce their collective emissions by at least 40% by 2020 (from 1990 levels).
2. The creation of a global fund that will invest at least $140 billion a year in developing countries to adapt to climate change, switch to renewable energy and stop deforestation.
3. Ending global deforestation by 2020.
Num. pages: 12
