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Radical Realism About Climate Change / Lili Fuhr, Project Syndicate, 2/11/2016Mainstream politics, by definition, is ill equipped to imagine fundamental change. But last December in Paris, 196 governments agreed on the need to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels – an objective that holds the promise of delivering precisely such a transformation. Achieving it will require overcoming serious political challenges, reflected in the fact that some are advocating solutions that will end up doing more harm than good...lireHow Can Countries Deliver on National Climate Plans? 4 Things to Know / Taryn Fransen, WRI blog, 2/11/2016One year ago marked a milestone in the lead-up to the Paris Agreement on climate change, as Parties rushed to submit their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the UN climate change secretariat. These INDCs (now NDCs, as countries have ratified the Agreement) laid out countries’ plans to reduce emissions domestically and contribute to the objectives of the Agreement, with 163 Parties submitting plans... lireNew research confirms feasibility of 1.5°C / Fabio Sferra, Climate Analytics, 28/10/2016At COP 21 in Paris, governments agreed to “hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C”. The inclusion of the 1.5°C temperature limit in the Paris Agreement has taken some researchers by surprise and revealed a substantial research gap: at that time a range of 1.5°C emission pathways was available for assessment by the IPCC, but from only two energy-economic models. Researchers are now filling this gap, by working on more pathways consistent with the long-term goal of the Paris Agreement... lire Climate change and the cost of inaction / Ric Colacito, Bridget Hoffmann, Toan Pha, Vox, 28/10/2016Policy proposals to offset the effects of global warming would be strengthened if we knew more about the net economic benefits of climate action relative to business-as-usual. This column argues that estimates may understate the future costs of business as usual because of heterogeneous seasonal effects, and because more business sectors than previously assumed suffer a negative impact from increased summer temperatures. The cost of inaction may be equal to one-third of the growth rate of US GDP over the next 100 years... lire