Center for Global Sustainability

Small Island Developing States face challenges accessing funds due to their size, limited resources, & high exposure to climate risks.

A new policy brief from , CGS, and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water's program discusses how the can enhance adaptation support for SIDS: go.umd.edu/GSTforAdaptationFunds

Congratulations to scholars: Joan Pauline Talubo, Lei Ma, Carlon Mendoza, and Ibrahim Muhammad Shamsuddin

The Global Stocktake as a tool for scaling up Adaptation Actions and Finance in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) | Center for Global Sustainability Joan Talubo, Department of Community and Environmental Resource Planning, University of the Philippines Los Baños, the Philippines

Happy ! As a leading innovative research organization, we're proud to help create a better, cleaner world. In addition to our work on global climate goals, our work with the Maryland Dept. Of The Environment will help develop a pathway for Maryland’s clean future: bit.ly/3nCjAXz

Launched at our first-ever scholars represent a network of future leaders at the forefront of stocktaking research. Together we will inform policymakers and incubate innovative thinking on broader climate challenges. bit.ly/ECSIS2023

Climate action from all-of-society is at the core of a successful . Our first-ever scholars are committed to ensuring all voices are brought to the stocktake table. But how can we do this? http://bit.ly/ECSIS2023
- Joan Pauline Talubo

Amidst growing concerns over Russia slashing gas deliveries to Germany, the Center for Global Sustainability's new analysis affirms that Germany can end its dependence on Russian gas within just a few short years while phasing out coal power and remaining on track to net-zero. CGS's new paper details how Germany can successfully phase out Russian gas by reducing gas demand, increasing supply from other regions, and rapidly investing in renewable energy.
go.umd.edu/GermanyGas

The United Nations Bonn Climate Change Conference, , featured discussions on mitigation, adaptation, support to developing countries, and loss and damage. As several CGS researchers participated in the conference, hear more from our experts about the outcomes and what this means for . https://cgs.umd.edu/news/cgs-expert-reflections-years-bonn-climate-conference-sb56

CGS Expert Reflections on this year's Bonn Climate Conference (SB56) | Center for Global Sustainability In advance of November's COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, the annual UN Climate Change Conference (SB56) met in Bonn, Germany, from June 6th to June 16th to lay the groundwork for the highly anticipated international conference later this year. While hopes were high for progress, delegates came to n...

Join us tomorrow, 6/2, at 12 PM EST to learn from our distinguished faculty about our work at CGS! All are welcome to learn about our exciting research and how you can get involved! Register here → go.umd.edu/meetCGS

"Our new analysis released this week with demonstrates how China can strategically and rapidly begin a during the 14th and 15th Five-Year Plan periods http://bit.ly/3tnt5cs

The report's first-of-its-kind framework identifies nearly 1,000 low-hanging fruit plants—over 200 GW of existing coal power capacity—that China can retire in the near term while also realizing socio-economic & environmental goals

Based on our analysis and findings, we identify a set of next steps that China can implement from the national to regional levels http://go.umd.edu/ADecadeToActPolicyBrief

“We focus on identifying plants that can be retired generating larger environmental, economic, & social benefits, to maximize China’s societal gains from achieving its coal phase-down commitment.” - CGS's Ryna Cui and lead author

More from the experts: http://go.umd.edu/ADecadeofActionPR"

A Decade of Action: A Strategic Approach for a Coal Phase-Down in China | Center for Global Sustainability A successful transition away from coal to clean energy is the central pillar of China’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060—and will be critical to keep a global 1.5˚ Celsius (C) pathway within reach. Yet recent trends are raising uncertainties for the critical period of 2020-2030...

New evidence demonstrates the need to focus on policies that promote renewable energy technology adoption and less on trade disputes to generate employment benefits. Learn more → https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032122000338 #…!

Do clean energy trade duties generate employment benefits? Renewable energy (RE) trade disputes have been rising in response to certain green industrial policies, i.e., policy mechanisms used to develop domest…

"But after the celebration, let’s get back to the drawing board and find ways to further strengthen the pledges to align with the new 1.5-degree goal. And remember, pledges are just pledges until they are fulfilled by concrete actions on the ground," CGS Fellow Haewon McJeon on the Glasgow Climate Pact & the future of climate action.

2021 was a critical year for climate action, featuring enhanced global ambition at COP26. CGS had a delegation on the ground to witness and inform COP26's outcomes and accomplishments. As 2022 begins, CGS experts reflected on the international progress → go.umd.edu/COP26reflections

Reflections from CGS experts on COP26 outcomes and progress towards global climate goals | Center for Global Sustainability COP26 delivered a set of strong outcomes, in addition to a swell of enhanced ambition in the form of NDCs and other national and global initiatives over the course of 2021. And it is expected that this action will only continue to increase throughout 2022. In Glasgow, the U.S. and China agreed to ad...

As the world transitions away from fossil fuels, particularly coal, policymakers must protect the livelihoods of affected communities. Our newest paper presents policy options and strategies based on best practices. Learn more → go.umd.edu/JustTransitionCoal

Just Transitions for the Coal Industry: Building a Framework from International Best Practices | Center for Global Sustainability Growing demands to stop burning fossil fuels, and particularly coal, threaten the livelihoods of coal sector workers and coal-reliant communities. Well-executed transitions—just transitions—will be necessary to ensure economic and social stability in coal-dependent regions while transitioning to...

With around the corner, cooperation between two of the world’s biggest emitters, the US & China, could spark enhanced global climate action. We look at how a joint coal phase-out can achieve rapid emissions reductions. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674927821001374

A U.S.‒China coal phaseout and the global 1.5 °C pathway As the world seeks to increase ambition rapidly to limit global warming to 1.5°C, joint leadership from the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters—th…

CGS is hiring for a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in Climate & Energy Innovation Policy to work with Kavita Surana & Morgan Edwards on their new research. Priority deadline is May 25th! Learn more → cgs.umd.edu/about/jobs

The new report series developed in partnership with the British Embassy in Washington DC, Climate Advisers & Center for Global Sustainability analyzes 25 states for their green economy potential across nine growing sectors & finds opportunities for bilateral cooperation between the U.S. & the U.K.→ https://go.umd.edu/USGreenEconomy

New U.S. Green Economy Report series identifies states most prepared to seize clean energy growth | Center for Global Sustainability A new report series analyzing 25 states for their green economy potential across nine growing clean energy sectors finds there are attractive opportunities for investment and bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and the U.K.

"We are excited to announce new research on innovation supported by the Sloan Foundation in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison!

“Clean energy innovation is essential for achieving our climate goals, and cleantech start-ups may have the technology to solidify the clean energy transition, yet they often are underfunded,” says Kavita Surana, co-lead on this research. "By combining granular data with systems models, we can better understand how interactions between startups and investors shape technology diffusion and emissions reductions," says Morgan Edwards, co-lead on this research.

Read more → https://cgs.umd.edu/news/new-research-will-assess-how-corporate-cleantech-start-partnerships-can-catalyze-climate-and "

New research will assess how corporate-cleantech start-up partnerships can catalyze climate and energy innovation | Center for Global Sustainability This new research, supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, aims to explore how the growing interactions between corporations and cleantech start-ups are shaping climate and energy innovation outcomes.

Today the U.S. made a strong pledge to reduce emissions by 50-52% by 2030. This is in line with ours & other major analytical studies that show how we can achieve this.

“If climate action becomes much more widespread at the state or city or business level, then it’s much more robustly anchored… Then these climate goals aren’t just viewed as a numbers game, but as a societal transformation,” says CGS Director Nathan Hultman in The New York Times → https://go.umd.edu/T4E.

Biden Wants to Slash Emissions. Success Would Mean a Very Different America. Hitting the targets could require a rapid shift to electric vehicles, the expansion of forests nationwide, development of complex new carbon-capture technology and many other changes, researchers said.

Happening now! Come celebrate with a discussion on climate action in the State of MD. See you there! go.umd.edu/PinskyForumReg

The State of Maryland is already leading on , but how is MD accelerating action in 2021, a pivotal year in addressing the climate crisis?

Join us & SustainableUMD in welcoming MD Sen. Paul Pinsky to discuss this next Wed, 4/21! Register now! go.umd.edu/PinskyForumReg

The latest America Is All In analysis offers a potential pathway for the U.S. to set and achieve 50% emissions reductions below 2005 levels by 2030. As a leader in conducting this analysis, we showcase how a comprehensive, all-of-society strategy for the U.S., integrating federal and non-federal action, can inform new policies in key sectors and economic growth trajectories to advance US climate ambition. https://go.umd.edu/Sts

An All-In climate strategy can cut U.S. emissions by 50% by 2030 | Center for Global Sustainability 2021 can be a year of global action to address the climate crisis, and the U.S. has the opportunity to step up its climate action and deliver a strong commitment to the world. This new analysis from the America Is All In analytical team demonstrates how a comprehensive, all-of-society strategy for t...

The next U.S. NDC should set the U.S. on a path towards a renewed & innovative economy that also expands opportunities for 21st century jobs in clean technology. How can the Biden Admin do this? Read more in Nathan Hultman's paper → go.umd.edu/USNDC

Building an ambitious and robust U.S. climate target: A comprehensive process to catalyze national and subnational climate action for the next NDC | Center for Global Sustainability The opportunity is now at hand for the United States to build a new, comprehensive, and ambitious national climate policy strategy for the United States and to re-engage with the international community to address climate globally. Such a strategy would catalyze a broad transformation that delivers....

Investing in state-level clean energy innovation can stimulate , reduce electricity costs, & help achieve air, water, & climate goals. But how can states do this? Our pathway shows how states can accelerate innovation & reap these benefits → go.umd.edu/policyregionalenergy

Policy Brief: New Approaches Towards Clean Energy Innovation through Coordinated Regional Policy | Center for Global Sustainability Clean energy innovation activity involves a diverse set of stakeholders that open up new opportunities to develop regional innovation systems, especially in states. While the federal government, especially the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its national laboratories, play a critical and prominent...