How much in subsidies do fossil fuels receive?
Estimates range from less than $1 trillion to $7 trillion. Where do these numbers come from?
Source: Our World in Data
February 7, 2025
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By measuring your greenhouse gas emissions and by reducing them accordingly you can be the change you want to see as of today
The planet has entered a state of emergency with unprecedented risk of damage to humanity and the environment. Global warming and the collapse of biodiversity are having fatal consequences on an exponential scale. Urgent action is needed at all levels – everywhere and now – to confront the threat.
To achieve the goal of zero net emissions by 2050, GHG emissions must already be reduced by 60% by 2030. As with a balanced budget in the long term, it is essential to take immediate, concrete and continuous reduction measures, otherwise the target can never be achieved by the set deadline. Let’s start.
Imagine a world where climate action for zero emissions is the natural course of action for everyone, entity or individual. 2050Today is about measuring our greenhouse gas emissions and reducing them accordingly to bring about the change we want today.
United by this vision, over 70 institutions in international Geneva have decided to take action to confront the challenge of climate change by implementing 2050Today. Permanent Missions, international organisations, academia and civil society entities have committed to measure and reduce their emissions while confirming their willingness to cooperate together for effective, inclusive and sustainable climate action. To advance further and establish a common frame of reference with principles, defined objectives and specific actions, the participating institutions have signed the 2050Today Charter aimed at decarbonising international Geneva together.
Joining or supporting 2050Today means participating in a coalition of entities resolutely committed to reducing emissions and concerned about acting in accordance with a sustainable planet for future generations within the planetary boundaries.
Participation in 2050Today is open to all international Geneva entities
We will be glad to welcome your institution
Estimates range from less than $1 trillion to $7 trillion. Where do these numbers come from?
Source: Our World in Data
February 7, 2025
Heat waves exacerbate the danger of the disease.
Source: Yale Climate Connections
February 7, 2025
Recycling e-waste can unlock a vast and sustainable supply of transition minerals but in India the sector relies on a neglected informal economy.
Source: Climate Home News
January 21, 2025
Studies show that in general women bear more risks from external pressures on collectively held lands no matter the tenure system. This is so even in Indigenous matrilineal communities, where women’s land rights are culturally legitimate.
Source: World Resources Institute
January 16, 2025
Eating low-carbon foods helps reduce emissions, but some foods actually suck up carbon from the atmosphere, leaving the climate in a better place.
We all know that producing most foods creates greenhouse gas emissions, driving climate change. These emissions come from hundreds of different sources, including tractors burning fuel, manufacturing fertiliser and the bacteria in cow’s guts. Overall, food production contributes a quarter of human caused greenhouse gas emissions.
However, there are some foods that remove more greenhouse gases than they emit, often referred to as “carbon negative” foods. These foods leave the climate better than they found it. Producing and eating more of these could help reduce the carbon impact of our food and, in some cases, restore ecosystems in the process.
Source: BBC Essential
January 7, 2025
The world cannot achieve a green energy transition without copper.
A highly conductive metal, copper is the cornerstone of virtually all electricity-related technologies that are needed to decarbonise power, heating and transport systems. As the roll-out of clean energy technologies accelerates, Chile’s copper is highly coveted. The South American country is the world’s top producer of the metal. But in its northern copper mining region, doctors have picked up on a worrying trend: the number of children being diagnosed with severe autism is soaring.
Source: Climate Home News
December 17, 2024
To keep global warming below 1.5°, we must at all costs avoid depleting our carbon budget. All organisations must therefore reduce their emissions as much as possible – and as soon as possible – in order to comply with the IPCC special report’s warning to limit global warming to 1.5°C. At current emissions levels, this budget will be exhausted within a few years and well before 2030. Every moment is counting and the countdown is not stopping. So the time to act is today.
The MCC Carbon Clock shows how much CO2 can be released into the atmosphere to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C and 2°C, respectively. Once the remaining time has elapsed these thresholds will be exceeded. With just a few clicks, you can compare the estimates for both temperature targets and see how much time is left in each scenario.
It’s a fact that the climate is warming because of human activity. Everything we consume, use and then throw away requires materials and energy. Whether it’s during the production, use or end-of-life phase of the good or service. In effect, all our activities contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Some enormously, others very little.
The world total carbon footprint in 2022 due to human emissions from fossil fuels and industry excluding land-use change was around 37 gigatons of CO2 eq. These huge emissions are the accumulation of many and many … billions of big and small emissions that are the result of life styles and consumption.
The carbon footprint is only one part of the impact of human beings on planet Earth. To get a glimpse of our global impact, take a look at the graphic below.
We should also keep in mind how quickly our impact has grown. The Earth, our only available habitat, appeared some 4.5 billion years ago. The ancestors of human beings first appeared less than 10 million years ago.
In other words, if you were to compress the entire history of the Earth into 24 hours, the first Homo sapiens would only arrive in the last few seconds and the advent of agriculture would only be a blink of an eye before midnight.
To have a closer look, follow Living in the Age of Humans, a series of stories that examine the impacts of human presence on Earth.
Major environmental-change categories expressed as a percentage relative to intact baseline. Red indicates percentage of category damaged, lost or otherwise affected; blue indicates percentage intact, remaining or unaffected. Frontiers in Conservation Science
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