Climate Action

How are the world's biggest emitters cutting down? 5 climate change stories to read this week

Germany's €9 transit ticket, the Great Salt Lake is shrinking and the US' 1 billion trees plan - here are the latest stories on climate change.

Germany's €9 transit ticket, the Great Salt Lake is shrinking and the US' 1 billion trees plan - here are the latest stories on climate change. Image: Unsplash/Eelco Böhtlingk

Tom Crowfoot
Writer, Forum Stories
This article is part of: Centre for Nature and Climate

Listen to the article

  • This weekly roundup brings you some key climate change stories from the past seven days.
  • Top stories this week: How countries are cutting back on carbon; Germany's eco-friendly transport scheme; Great Salt Lake shrinks; US to plant 1 billion trees; How to raise resilience to extreme heat.

1. These regions produce a lot of carbon emissions - here’s what they plan to do about it

Roughly a third of global electricity production capacity currently comes from low-carbon sources, with 26% from renewables and around 10% from nuclear power. But, the remainder still comes from greenhouse-gas emitting fossil fuels.

The International Energy Agency says annual investment in clean energy must triple by 2030 if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

global electricity production by source fossil fuels climate change
Around a third of global electricity production comes from low-carbon or renewable energy sources. Image: Our World in Data

Countries around the world are making strides to cut their use of fossil fuels and boost clean energy sources. Consider the US, where clean energy comprised 67% of new electric generating capacity during the first half of this year.

Discover how the world's biggest emitters are cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Germany's €9 transit ticket cuts 1.8 million tonnes of CO2

In response to the rising cost of living and the nation's net-zero commitments, Germany started offering monthly public transit tickets for €9 at the start of June. Over 52 million people took advantage of the tickets and the reduction in car use has cut carbon dioxide emissions by 1.8 million tonnes, according to VDV, the leading public-transport organisation in Germany.

Additionally, researchers at the University of Potsdam found that air pollution levels fell by up to 7% in response to this shift in German transport use. The ticket scheme expired at the end of August, despite calls for an extension.

Learn more about Germany's innovative public transit scheme.

Discover

How is the World Economic Forum promoting sustainable and inclusive mobility systems?

3. The Great Salt Lake is getting a little less great - here’s why

The biggest salt water lake in the western hemisphere hit a record low of 1,276.9 metres on 10 August. In 1986 the lake was at its highest recorded level with an average water height of 1,283.7 metres.

“Though water levels in the Great Salt Lake can fluctuate by year, they have generally been declining for decades,” warns NASA’s Earth Observatory.

Great Salt Lake decline climate change global warming
The Great Salt Lake in the US has dropped almost 7 metres between 1985 and 2022, with potential impact of climate change. Image: NASA

Explore why the Great Salt Lake is shrinking and the impacts this is having.

4. The US is planting a billion trees to fight climate change

Trees have the ability to capture carbon from the atmosphere and store it for generations. They are vital tools in tackling climate change and more and more countries are looking to use this nature-based solution in response to global warming.

The US is among those countries, aiming to plant 1 billion trees over the next 10 years.

Read more on the benefits of tree planting in tackling the climate crisis.

Have you read?

5. Extreme heat is weakening cities, financial services can help build resilience

In the last month alone, Spain and Portugal have collectively reported 2,000 fatalities due to extreme heat. Despite the dangers of extreme heat, more global attention is consistently given to more visible disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes or floods, writes Daniel Murphy, Risk and Resilience Specialist at the World Economic Forum.

Climate change induced extreme heat is more deadly than any other extreme weather event in the US.
Extreme heat is more deadly than any other extreme weather event in the US. Image: National Weather Service

But a growing body of research is showing the effects of extreme heat. Not only does extreme heat hit cities' infrastructure, it also harms the mental and physical health of citizens, which inhibits economic growth and individual social mobility, and therefore exacerbates existing socio-economic inequities.

A multi-stakeholder approach is necessary if cities are to build heat resilience. Look at Seville, which has seen success due to its involvement of leaders in public health, finance, insurance, and academia.

Discover more about building resilience to extreme heat.

Loading...
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Climate Indicators

Related topics:
Climate ActionNature and Biodiversity
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Climate Indicators is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

How metals can help construct more sustainable cities around the world

Debojyoti Roy

December 5, 2024

How climate change and water stress is risking the semiconductor supply chain

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum