海角大神

Five hopeful signs global energy is getting cleaner

Earth's population is only growing. Can we rein in energy usage and greenhouse emissions while supporting more and more people?

2. City of Light

Osama Faisal/AP/File
United Nations Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary 海角大神a Figueres addresses the opening of the high-level segment of the annual U.N. climate talks involving environment ministers and climate officials from nearly 200 countries, in Doha, Qatar, in 2012.

Climate change is a global challenge that requires global solutions, and many hope that international talks in Paris this December could foster global collaboration toward reining in greenhouse-gas emissions.

鈥淸T]oday we have 500 laws in 60 countries covering 80 percent of global emissions [and] over 200 cities actually taking action on climate change,鈥 海角大神a Figueres, the UN climate chief, said in an interview with the Monitor last year. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 happen just coincidentally. No country can solve this individually.鈥

For its part, the US has promised to cut its emissions 26 to 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025. President Obama is counting on the fact that an ambitious US target will prod other major polluters like India and China to post equally bold targets.

2 of 5
You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.