The United Nations Climate Summit began in New York Tuesday, where President Obama will meet with leaders from around the world to discuss the latest global warming data.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is expected to announce that scientists are more sure than ever that global warming is caused by human behavior — 95% sure.
“There’s enormous opportunity for innovation,” said Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN’s panel on climate change.
“If we want to keep temperature increase to below 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, then by the middle of the century we would have to triple or quadruple low carbon or zero carbon energy supply through renewable sources,” Pachauri said.
That means more solar and wind, less coal and oil. But the UN is also taking into account emissions from transportation, heating and cooking. They’re trying to raise awareness in cities.
Boston has joined about two dozen other cities in pledging to reduce emissions by 25% by 2020.
“We have 10 or 15 years in front of us to dramatically turn around the climate change story,” said, Brian Swett, chief of environment, energy and open space for the city of Boston. “The impacts of climate change affect us all but they are particularly detrimental for the most vulnerable populations. The elderly, the young, those who have the least financial resources to bounce back from natural hazard events.”
And that’s not just those living on the water, it’s anyone who endures a heat wave, or increased snowfall. To encourage more eco-friendly behavior, the city is requiring building owners to disclose energy use, and setting compost drop-off points for food waste.
Swett and city officials are updating Boston's overall “climate plan” and will release it in November, when public comments will be encouraged. He says it’s necessary as extreme weather events are expected to increase in frequency and severity with climate change.
As folks at the UN have explained it: “If climate is personality, weather is mood.”
