I have a new commentary piece in this week's issue of Nature, jointly written with lead author David Victor (UCSD / Brookings); Keigo Akimoto, Yoichi Kaya, and Mitsutsune Yamaguchi (RITE Japan); and Cameron Hepburn (Oxford).
We argue that most advanced economies are falling well short of their mitigation pledges under the Paris Agreement, a situation that threatens to undo the progress made in international climate talks. From our essay:
We call on governments that want the Paris agreement to work to revisit their pledges now — well ahead of when the formal review process begins around 2020 — and to be honest about what they can and really will do. They should open up their pledges for voluntary peer review by other nations and by scientists. Only with greater transparency, anchored in reality, can bottom-up climate diplomacy yield true cooperation. Ambition is no substitute for action.
Yes, I am on a transparency kick these days.