海角大神

One global climate agreement won鈥檛 fix all of the world鈥檚 energy and environment problems. So as analysts and policymakers enter the final stretch ahead of this year鈥檚 UN climate talks, they鈥檙e hoping to include a wide range of sectors in the process, and ensure the summit鈥檚 impact continues long after the diplomats return home.

The final negotiated text of a climate agreement will be the centerpiece of the international negotiations in Paris this December. But experts say what happens around and after that main event is just as important. Corporations, sub-national governments, non-governmental organizations, and the public at large, play an increasingly important role in ensuring a stable and expedient shift toward a zero-carbon economy.

That was largely the message of 鈥淪tormy Seas: Climate Change and the Economy,鈥� a panel discussion in Chicago co-organized by the , , and 海角大神. Adele Simmons, president of the Global Philanthropy Partnership, and David Waskow, director of the International Climate Initiative at World Resources Institute, discussed the progress leading into the upcoming climate talks, and the challenges that remain. David Unger, the Monitor鈥檚 energy editor, moderated the talk.

Watch the full video below, or check out highlights from Thursday鈥檚 event:

听

Three big ideas

1. The climate pledge as feedback loop
   Much hand-wringing has focused on how to structure an effective global climate treaty. Do you centralize the goals and commitments, and issue a shared target to which all parties must adhere? Or do you work from the bottom up, crafting a suite of customized plans for each individual country that fit their specific economy, society, and politics? The approach to this year鈥檚 Paris climate talks is a bit of hybrid of the two, Mr. Waskow said during Thursday鈥檚 event. The goal is to create a 鈥渇eedback loop鈥� between international frameworks and individual nationwide action. 鈥淲e need to have a process that continues over time, [that] brings countries back regularly 鈥� optimally at five-year intervals 鈥� to keep ramping up these actions,鈥� Waskow said. 鈥淚f we can continue this feedback loop over time I think we鈥檙e in a different kind of situation that takes us out of some of the tensions of the past between the bottom-up and top-down approaches.鈥�

   听听听

2. Greener than thou
   Companies are competitive by nature, so why not pit them against one another when it comes to sustainability? The private sector is already responding to consumer demand for more planet-friendly goods and services, Ms. Simmons said at the event, and that kind of pressure will only grow. 鈥淚 think about how the whole corporate movement in this space is huge, and, if you鈥檙e left behind, you鈥檙e going to be left behind in lots of different ways,鈥� she said. When companies are caught cheating 鈥撎齛s was the case with Volkswagen installing software to hide the real-world emissions of some 11 million cars 鈥撎齣t will only motivate consumers to do more research on companies they care about, Simmons said. 鈥淚 think if anything it will get consumers to get beyond the first question of 鈥榓re you doing anything鈥� to 鈥榓re you really doing it?鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淪o in some ways it will begin an even greater movement of consumers holding corporations accountable."

   听听听

3. The fabric of sustainable development
   Climate action does not happen in a vacuum. The threats of rising temperatures 鈥� and the solutions to those threats 鈥撎齛re woven across the economy, society, and built environment of individual nations. Waskow pointed to energy access as an example. Some 1.1 billion people across the globe do not have access to electricity, according to the World Bank. As those regions seek to obtain a higher quality of living, Waskow and others believe zero-carbon renewable energy can play a major role, particularly in rural areas that do not have access to the electrical grid. It鈥檚 a way to kill two birds with one stone, decreasing energy poverty while spreading the use of cleaner power sources. 鈥淕rowth and development will also depend on sustainable urban systems in many countries and we鈥檝e seen 鈥� we鈥檝e heard 鈥� the ways in which climate action is essential to the ways that cities develop in the United States and elsewhere," Waskow said. "So to be able to move forward, we need to see this as a fabric.鈥� 听 听

听

Two notable quotes

People are very excited by renewable-energy opportunities 鈥� People are now seeing this isn鈥檛 a drain on the economy. It just means there are other economic opportunities.鈥� 鈥� Adele Simmons

Paris happens the first two weeks of December. I think the most important date for Paris is January 1st, 2016. What we need to be thinking in terms of 鈥� and what Paris needs to be about 鈥� is in fact the action we take going forward 鈥� I think that Paris will provide an important platform for highlighting a lot of [climate] action. Then the question is [one of] actually making it happen.鈥� 鈥� David Waskow

Tweet of the day 听