The power and promise of improved climate data infrastructure

Abstract

The announcement by the Biden Administration to reengage the Paris climate process and lower US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 50% by the end of this decade is an essential development in the global effort to avoid the worst impacts of climate change (1). However, promises to reduce US GHG emissions are not new and have thus far delivered little real and sustainable emissions reductions (2). The result? Climate change continues unabated, and we forgo the associated jobs and technological innovation that will fuel economic growth in climate friendly businesses. It must be different this time—pledges must lead to practical policy and quickly. To mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, we need accurate and transparent emissions data infrastructure that maps when emissions are happening and where they’re coming from. Image credit: Shutterstock/Tatiana Grozetskaya. To meet the US emission pledge, practical policies will need to reach broadly across the US economy and mobilize new technologies, behavioral change, and private capital. Regardless of policy specifics, actionable GHG reduction policies will fundamentally rest on critical climate data infrastructure that comprehensively and reliably quantifies and tracks GHG emissions in the United States from the local to the national scale. Ideally, all citizens should be able to see a daily map of detailed emissions across the US landscape, much like viewing daily weather. In other words, we need a “US Greenhouse Gas Information Service.” Such a service would provide local emission context to our daily lives and is essential to determine whether emission reduction claims are real, if they’re targeting the best opportunities from neighborhoods to the nation, and whether they’re establishing the trust necessary to mobilize and sustain reduction investment. Right now, however, US climate data collection and dissemination efforts are falling short. Measurement and tracking of GHG emissions reflect a collection of ad hoc mandates and … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: kevin.gurney{at}nau.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1