News

Is There Reason for Optimism on Climate Change?

For many, the Trump administration’s announced intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, a carbon-reduction pact joined by nearly every nation, cast a dark cloud over global efforts to respond to climate change. Does that cloud have a carbon-neutral lining?

By DANIEL C. ESTY, 

The science is as conclusive as science gets. Anthropogenic climate change is happening, and as a recent paper in Science noted, “without major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, terrestrial ecosystems worldwide are at risk of major transformation.” The authors told the Washington Post, “What we’re talking about here are the kinds of changes that disrupt everybody’s lives.”

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To Move Paris Accord Forward, Bring Cities and Companies On Board

Workers install rooftop solar in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which has joined with cities across the globe to fight climate change. KEVIN FRAYER/GETTY

Much of the progress in reducing CO2 emissions is being driven by mayors, governors, premiers, and corporate executives. It’s time to acknowledge that reality and move beyond traditional diplomacy by allowing cities, states, and companies to officially sign on to the Paris Agreement

BY DANIEL C. ESTY AND ​PETER BOYD • MARCH 20, 2018, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

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A Letter from Singapore

Professor Esty with his Climate Change and the Future of Energy class at the Singapore Building Construction Authority’s ‘Skylab.'

By: Laura Brush, Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, Communications Team, March 2, 2018

Center Director Professor Dan Esty traveled to Singapore earlier this year to spend several weeks as a visiting lecturer at the Yale-NUS College. Esty spent the first half of the spring 2018 semester teaching, while also engaging with scholars and stakeholders at events across Singapore to explore issues related to international climate change law and policy.

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