Last week, India—the world’s third largest emitter of carbon dioxide—announced it is preparing to submit official plans to the United Nations with updated emissions targets in September (Straits Times). This obligation under the Paris Agreement was supposed to be fulfilled before last November’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). India previously threatened to withhold its climate commitment until rich nations provided more financial help to poor countries.

On February 27, Britain’s Court of Appeal ruled against an $18 billion proposed expansion of Heathrow Airport, stating policymakers had failed to consider the U.K.’s climate change commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement when designing the project (AP News, Reuters, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/27/heathrow-third-runw…

On December 5, New Zealand's Prime Minister, Jacinda Arden, announced a new $69.28 million green investment fund that is aimed at boosting private-sector participation in efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The fund will likely target electric vehicles, manufacturing, farming practices, and energy-efficient commercial buildings. For the full story, see https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-newzealand-climatechange-investment/n….

On November 28, the European Union's (EU's) executive branch proposed to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050. The proposal is far more ambitious than the national targets set by many of the EU's 28 member nations and is likely to be met with resistance. To achieve net-zero emissions, any greenhouse gases that are emitted would need to be soaked up by forest growth or by new technologies that remove carbon from the atmosphere. For the full story, see https://www.apnews.com/95d0381308164e7b867dd0e0d869bf15.