If you work in sustainable finance like I do, you may have had family and friends ask you what these commitments mean for them as consumers, producers and savers in our economy. How might global climate goals inform decisions about aligning their money with their values or protecting the value of their investments?
Six years. That’s how much time society has to avert the worst impacts of a warming planet. Between now and 2030, global emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases would need to fall by 43%, science tells us. (Emissions would need to peak by next year.)
Over that time, society would triple renewable sources of energy, double gains in energy efficiency, cut methane emissions substantially, and accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. All are efforts that nearly 200 countries agreed to contribute to at the COP28 climate conference last December, which concluded the hottest calendar year on record.
