From Climate Pledges To Action: Let Unbiased Data Show The Way

Technical assistance from independent NGOs can lay the groundwork for the policy successes needed to fight climate change

- GRUNDLER & CHRISTOPHER AJAY MATHUR

The Paris climate agreement, concluded in 2015, has been instrumental in rallying countries around the world to commit to reducing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. But setting ambitious climate targets has not always resulted in meaningful action. The United Nations’ recent ‘global stocktake’ report shows that we are falling short of the drastic cuts needed to achieve climate stability, underscoring the urgent need for governments to act swiftly and decisively to keep global warming within safe limits.

As former regulators, we are confident that developing effective solutions is still feasible. While four economic sectors—industry, transportation, electricity and buildings—account for 75% of global GHG emissions, well-designed public policies could effectively reduce pollution from these sectors, promote consumer savings, safeguard public health and stimulate sustainable economic growth.

But crafting effective policies to transform our fossil-fuel-based economies in time to avert climate catastrophe and meet humanity’s energy needs is a daunting task. Tackling it head-on requires a combination of technical, economic and political expertise, along with significant financial resources and labour, but the agencies charged with devising and implementing these critical policies are understaffed and underfunded. Too often, regulators have no choice but to rely on the information provided to them by the very industries they are charged with overseeing. This dynamic can result in weak regulation and missed policy objectives.