The internet is successfully facilitating a transition from traditional so called “brown” business models to new green growth strategies. The “Low Carbon World” website - www.LowCarbonEconomy.com - was officially launched today in Bali, Indonesia at the United Nations Environment Programme’s annual Governing Council.
The new website, a joint project between The Low Carbon Economy (TLCE) and the United Nation’s Climate Neutral Network (CN NET) aims to facilitate the move to global low carbon economies, a necessary imperative if we are to combat dangerous and escalating climate change.
The new website will assist knowledge transfer and simplify access to information and tools that can be difficult to trace. It will list every country’s carbon policies, commitments, historical performance, future projections and opportunities, as well as country-specific marketplaces, networks, associations and standards which are relevant to government departments and investment agencies.
TLCE’s manging director Toddington Harper said: “Everyone agrees that the transition to a low carbon economy is an environmental and economic imperative, and will require increased collaboration globally - particularly between public and private sectors.
“Until now, access to the necessary low carbon information has been extremely restricted and very time consuming. With this project we have changed that and we look forward to continuing to work with UNEP and other major partners over the coming months and years.”
Annual global greenhouse gas emissions should not exceed 40 to 48.3 Gigatonnes (Gt) of equivalent C02 in 2020, if a rise in global temperatures is to be curbed at 2 degrees C or less, whilst between 2020 and 2050, global emissions ideally need to fall by between 48 per cent and 72 per cent.
“The solutions for the transition to a low carbon economy already exist, and it is a question of removing barriers for rapid and mass uptake. These barriers include technical, financial and informational aspects. I look forward to seeing this project develop further”, said UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNEP Achim Steiner.
The Climate Neutral Network (CN Net) celebrated its second anniversary at UNEP’s 11th Special Session of the Governing Council in Bali, Indonesia by hosting a side event titled “High hopes, low carbon - making it work!” The side event showcased work and success stories undertaken between CN Net and TLCE over the past 12-months.
