Experts Discuss Rise in Global Carbon Emissions

On February 14, experts met in Washington, D.C. for a panel discussion on the recent evidence showing that carbon dioxide emissions are surging after a period of slowed growth. Serving as moderator, Chris Field, Perry L. McCarty Director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and former director of Working Group II of the IPCC, led the discussion. Panelists included Stanford Professor Sally Benson, co-director of the Precourt Institute for Energy and director of the Global Climate and Energy Project; Stanford Professor Rob Jackson, chair of the Global Carbon Project; and Sheila Bonini, senior vice president of private sector engagement at World Wildlife Fund. The panel focused on the major causes behind the shift in the global emissions trajectory; implications for reaching the target in the Paris Agreement, and where efforts should be concentrated to generate future emissions reductions.