Danuta Pieter

Climate red-herrings The recent publication of a new article by JB Fressoz (who pushes the narrative that energy transitions have never happened, and uses that to push the idea they never will) has re-opened the debate in France about climate solutions. The article is entitled: "In tech we trust: A history of technophilia in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) climate mitigation expertise" (https://lnkd.in/eptQ5Czv) Two of the main technologies mentioned as signs of the techno-solutionism of IPCC are Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). Let's first start by a reminder that they are different in their nature: CCS captures CO2 at the point of emission while CDR removes CO2 from the atmosphere. Let's also look at what the IPCC really says about both. CCS accounts for less that 10% of the needed emission reductions (https://lnkd.in/eVkNDAXQ) while scenarios reaching net-zero by 2050 have a similar share of carbon removal by 2050. This means that no-one is seriously thinking that you can simply deploy those and not do any emission reduction. Why? For a very very simple reason: for most sectors it is much cheaper to decarbonise (https://lnkd.in/emUPm8Ev) ! And the progress in electrification in different sectors will make that economic argument even stronger going forward (https://lnkd.in/ejTcXU-d) CCS will be needed in some sectors (cement production for example, unless new technologies prove competitive) and CDR will be needed to compensate for residual and non-CO2 emissions. But both will be at much lower rates than current emissions. I am not denying that some might have interest in pushing for those technologies rather than transforming their business- https://lnkd.in/ec_rPCxs but should we inflate their importance? I think the current struggles in both CCS and CDR should be good proofs that they are hard to scale. Source of the graph: https://lnkd.in/ednXuKSk #carbonremoval #climate #climatesolutions

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🚨 NEW PUBLICATION: "Building in Flexibility: Key Considerations for the #PlasticsTreaty" ✅  Flexibility mechanisms encourage broad adoption by differently situated States while, ideally, not undermining the goal of the treaty. ✅ Flexibility related to art. 3 substantive obligations on plastic products and Chemicals can be embedded through both general and specific exemptions. The Chair’s text does not, however, currently include general exclusions or exemptions, which could be a way to include additional flexibility into the treaty text. ✅ Mandatory Obligations with Different Timelines for Implementation. ❌  Reservations: Including a provision to permit parties to make reservations is not recommended because, upon ratification, any party may decide to register a reservation to any article. ❌ Excluding or Shielding Parties from Particular Obligations ✅ ❌ Alternate Control Measures ✅ ❌ Optional Annexes and Protocols DYK that: 1️⃣ Opt-out provisions are much more common than opt-in provisions? 2️⃣ Marpol: Although called annexes, MARPOL’s four optional annexes function in some similar ways to protocols, notably in that they have certain requirements before the annex enters into force.  3️⃣ Acceptable purposes differ from specific exemptions in that a party may register its acceptable purpose of Annex B POPs (currently DDT and PFOS) at any time. 4️⃣ An approach similar to that under the Stockholm Convention could be pursued under the Plastics Treaty, particularly if some products and chemicals are phased out entirely, while others are reduced. This approach must include the most elaborate requirements for trade between parties and between parties and non-parties. READ:

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Nearly a decade after the Paris Agreement, the climate challenge — and opportunity — for South Asia has transformed. In 2015, we were still struggling for basic #energy access. Between 2017 and 2019 alone, 130 million Indians gained electricity for the first time. Today, the region faces two transitions at once: electrification and decarbonisation. In this conversation, I spoke about what that means for our economies and people — and the three shifts that can move us from ambition to implementation: ➡️ Go hyperlocal: From national averages to neighbourhood-level risk maps. We’ve committed to building heat action plans for 300 cities by 2027 — 50 are already done. Climate resilience begins with knowing your risks. ➡️ Decarbonise industry, not deindustrialise: Most South Asian industries are small and medium enterprises. Electrifying them is not just good for emissions — it’s good for export competitiveness and growth. ➡️ Send the right signals: A fair, region-appropriate carbon price can drive innovation, attract investment, and mobilise youth entrepreneurship for climate solutions. We must recognise our shared #resilience. Across #SouthAsia, communities are not waiting for others to act; they are already leading change. The question is how we match that spirit with systems and finance that amplify their impact. Our transitions must be inclusive, competitive, and forward-looking. Because the choices we make today will define the careers — and futures — of an entire generation. 🎙️ Tune into my conversation with Farwa Aamer on the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) podcast: https://lnkd.in/gaAVe_P9

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There is No Future Without Culture 🌍 The MONDIACULT 2025 World Conference in Barcelona has concluded with a historic commitment: culture ministers from UNESCO Member States are positioning culture as an independent pillar of sustainable development beyond 2030. Key Commitments: 📌 Cultural Rights – Protecting indigenous cultures, linguistic diversity, and advancing heritage restitution 📌 Culture for Peace – Using cultural dialogue for conflict prevention and reconciliation 📌 Climate Action – Integrating cultural perspectives and traditional knowledge into climate solutions 📌 Digital & AI – Ensuring human-centric AI development that respects cultural diversity and creators’ rights 📌 Cultural Economy – Supporting decent work, fair remuneration, and social protection for artists and cultural workers Culture is both a driver and enabler of sustainable development - interconnecting education, economic growth, peacebuilding, and climate action. The Barcelona commitment is clear: culture must be integral to the post-2030 UN development framework❗️ #MONDIACULT2025 #CulturalPolicy #SustainableDevelopment #UNESCO #CulturalHeritage

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More than 40 climate scientists have issued an open call to the Science Based Targets initiative and Article 6 Supervisory Body to ensure Nature--our most powerful and scalable carbon storage and removal system globally-- isn’t left on the sidelines in the climate fight. Their message is clear, we cannot deliver on climate stabilization without large scale nature interventions. My favorite points below: 💡 Managing the Earth’s climate over the coming decades is as important as managing it over the coming centuries. ✅ Framing “permanence” as a binary threshold—either 1,000 years or failure—does not serve climate science or policy. A more accurate framing focuses on durability, a concept based on reversal risk: how long a tonne of CO2 is likely to remain out of the atmosphere, and what mechanisms exist to manage reversal risk and compensate for lost carbon. 🔎 Unlocking the ~11 Gt yr -1 of mitigation potential available through NCS in the next decade (IPCC, 2023; Griscom et al. 2017), will require policy measures that evaluate and address reversal risks associated with all carbon storage and removal pathways, rather than policies that default to an exclusion of a wide swath of options. 👍 NCS are not a substitute for fossil fuel phaseout or engineered removals. But geological storage cannot deliver the immediate, large-scale climate benefits that nature can. Climate mitigation must be portfolio-based: incorporating options across the durability-scale spectrum, matched to specific goals, timelines, and risk tolerances. ⚠️ Insisting that only 1,000-year removals count toward climate neutrality—a proposition that has appeared with increasing frequency in policy and guidance documents—ignores the fact that climate risk is cumulative and time-sensitive. Temporary reductions can have lasting impact if they help flatten the emissions curve, delay peak warming, and keep us within planetary boundaries. Conversely, failing to act—by excluding credible, well-managed, near-term options—carries irreversible consequences. ‼️ Successful approaches to climate mitigation that combine NCS, energy, and industrial alternatives will not be an “either, or” strategy but a “yes, and” strategy (Anderson et al. 2019). I am really excited about the conversation we're having on permanence and durability system design and management. We can deliver approaches to durability and reversal risk in the carbon markets that can ensure the atmosphere stays whole, projects can get done in the real world, and we have strong regulatory and legal frameworks in place that enable large scale finance to flow and for nature to play its necessary role in mitigating and adapting to climate change. See the full letter here: https://lnkd.in/gRx4H8vi

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𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗔 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗦: for the first time establishing an absolute emissions reductions target of 7–10% for their 2035 NDC. 📉 🌏 It may not sound like much, but that could represent a reduction of around 1.5 BILLION tons of CO2, more than the combined emissions of France, Germany & the UK. ⚡ China is already leading the global energy transition by supplying 80% of solar panels, 60% of wind turbines, and 75% of electric vehicles worldwide. They are also planning to 3x their installed solar & wind capacity to 3,600 GW by 2035. 🏭 Their national Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is growing as the key policy to deliver on these targets, expanding from power to other industrial sectors and introducing more stringent rules – but more about that next week. ⚠️ Whilst even higher ambition is needed to align with the Paris Agreement targets and China could do even more; in a world where the #US is pulling back and calling climate action ‘a green scam’, and the European Union is struggling, this development is notable. Importantly, #China generally prefers to 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿. We must both support and encourage this strengthened momentum. ⏩ For those interested, I highly recommend tuning in to this webinar (link below) on Monday where experts incl. Lauri, Anika & Ryna Yiyun Cui（崔宜筠）Shuo) will dissect these targets in more detail. What do you think about China’s announcement?

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Yesterday at a #UNGA80 side event on Data, Digital Transformation and the Resilience in the Energy Transition, I discussed a defining question for the AI era:   AI is already reshaping the #energy transition - but does it build resilience, or deepen fragility?   Last year, in Mexico’s drought-stricken Querétaro region, farmers rationed water and lost crops. Just a few kilometers away, billions were invested in new AI data centers requiring extensive water cooling systems. The paradox is striking.   By 2027, data centers are projected to consume nearly 900 TWh of electricity and 6.6 billion cubic meters of water annually, largely driven by AI. But at the same time, AI also holds promise: it can optimize renewable grids, enable faster climate forecasting, and unlock billions in private finance for clean energy in the Global South.   During the discussion, youth delegates asked powerful questions: 👉 Are we using #AI in a way that advances sustainable energy for all? 👉 How can we prevent AI from becoming another burden on already stressed systems, and instead ensure it can create real opportunities for development? 👉 Will we step up to govern our energy transitions, so they are not only resilient, but also just?   The answers will define whether AI accelerates the clean energy future - or becomes another burden on already fragile systems.   #UNGA #AI #EnergyTransition #Resilience #Sustainability

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