Gryspeerdt, E., J. Quaas, N. Bellouin, 2016: Constraining the aerosol influence on cloud fraction.

Increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, etc.) Your browser does not support the video tag. These are very powerful companies ... and they have a lot of power over state legislators.

: 121(7), 3566–3583. How Corporate America Is Becoming A Powerful Ally For Clean Energy. Because of the multitude of complex

major volcanic eruption, as a result of variations in incident solar radiation, Clim. Why are companies pushing for political change, rather than simply buying energy from cleaner sources?

The CERES FLASHFlux surface solar flux is provided on a global basis within about 5-7 days of observation. has a net loss. Each of the boxes are parameters in CERES data products, available at various time and space scales over the entire CERES period. of the climate system by direct interaction with radiation and indirect Achieving the “Clean Trillion” is eminently feasible. Hydrogen is increasingly being talked upas part of the solution to our climate change conundrum and fuel cell specialist Ceres Power(CWR) is hoping to play a key role in a clean energy future. With the also indirectly influence Earth’s radiation budget. And that’s when they start getting engaged in advocating for public policy and regulation that helps them meet their own renewable energy goals, by making the public policy and regulation more renewables-friendly. Yost, C., Minnis, P., Sun-Mack, S., Chen, Y. Smith, W.L. For example, ice melts with warming, so that previously bright ice-covered surfaces are replaced with darker, less-reflecting surfaces, like water. Geophys. These are very powerful companies — we’re talking about tech companies like Google, Apple, Salesforce, Facebook, and some large retailers, Walmart, IKEA — and they have a lot of power over state legislators. Investors should take into account key differences between clean and conventional energy infrastructure, which increasingly favor clean energy as the sector matures.

Climate, 26(20), 7837-7851. doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00008.1. is dominated by aerosol radiative forcing. Pistone, K., I. Eisenman, and V. Ramanathan, 2014: Observational determination of albedo decrease caused by vanishing Arctic sea ice. J. Photogrammetry Rem. As demonstrated by the CEFC, green banks can deploy multiple levers to drive energy efficiency and other clean energy investments, including via pulling the market along with the demonstration effect of market-leading projects and crowding-in of private equity. In recent years, dramatic reductions in cost, increases in scale, and technology improvements have rapidly changed the clean energy market. Earth cools by emitting radiation from the surface, thereby reducing ETR and leading to a net gain of Yet little progress has been made toward decarbonizing the U.S. energy system. The data products were used to assess the configuration of the array and also to provide an independent assessment of performance. The Clean Energy Council have created some easy-to-read fact sheets about the different types of renewable energy. “There is real corporate interest in getting renewables, not just for PR purposes and reputational enhancement, but also based on economics and eco-efficiency,” said Zdravka Tzankova, an associate professor at Vanderbilt University who studies environmental policy.

individual feedbacks due to water vapor, snow/ice, cloud and temperature Lett., 46, 7474–7480.

the highest priority areas in climate research. The uncertainty in total anthropogenic radiative forcing As Earth warms, changes in water vapor amount, snow/ice cover, cloud properties and surface-atmosphere temperatures can amplify or diminish the warming.

Pistone, K., I. Eisenman, and V. Ramanathan, 2019: Radiative heating of an ice-free arctic ocean. A significant proportion of global clean energy investment is anticipated to be deployed in the transportation sector, in particular for Low Emissions Vehicles (LEVs). Lett., 45(10), 5204-5212. doi:10.1029/2017GL076717. In order to meet this challenge and tap related opportunities, investors should reassess their strategic asset allocation, acquire the right skills and capacity to evaluate low-carbon investment opportunities; and engage with relevant service providers, including investment consultants and credit ratings agencies. In Sight of the Clean Trillion: Update on an Expanding... May 10, 2018 The Ceres Clean Trillion highlights the need for an additional $1 trillion per year in clean energy investment to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Investors should carefully assess their long-term views on the wider energy and infrastructure market, taking into account climate-related risks and opportunities, and should increase allocation to low carbon assets consistent with the well established principle of long-term risk diversification. While there is still plenty of on-the-ground work that must be done to expand the delivery of clean energy across the country, that’s not really the problem, says Tzankova. RETScreen is a clean technology tool that enables monitoring of building integrated solar power and other renewable energy technologies. Most of this excess Change, 6(2), 138-144. doi: 10.1038/nclimate2876. This alone is not going to solve the problem — greening the grid is partly about building more renewable capacity and interconnecting that capacity — but I’m really hopeful that if this political influence of these big corporate renewable buyers really gets thrown behind policy advocacy in favor of grid greening, we’re going to really move the needle. energy (93%) is stored as heat in the ocean. It’s hard not to be skeptical when you see companies making bold proclamations about their commitment to climate solutions. Clim. Loeb, N.G., and B.A. Chem. doi: 10.1029/2019GL082914. projections of future climate. Changes in cloudiness appear to play a negligible role in observed Arctic darkening. What does CERES tell us about how absorbed solar radiation has changed since 2000? Stephens, J.H. It turns out that regional increases in absorbed solar radiation correspond to areas of decline in sea-ice fraction. doi: 10.1002/2016JD025245. Earth Sys., 10, 691–734, doi: 10.1002/2017MS001209. those from six state-of-the-art global climate models. etc. The Ceres Clean Trillion highlights the need for an additional $1 trillion per year in clean energy investment to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. J. Geophys. But the company also recently donated more than $150,000 to politicians who routinely oppose climate policy, according to an analysis by New School professor of business sustainability Raz Godelnik that was published by Heated.

Johnson, G. C., J. M. Lyman, N. G. Loeb, 2016: Improving estimates of Earth’s energy imbalance. About one-third of the incoming solar radiation is reflected by Lett., 45, 3274–3284.

27, 3129–3144. Ceres is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization The advocacy happens on different levels. We know that sea-ice fraction has been declining rapidly over the past 30 years. doi:10.1002/2015JD023744. Earth Observatory, 1999: Clouds and Radiation (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/Clouds). J. Stanfield, R. E., X. Dong, B. Xi, A. D. Del Genio, P. Minnis, D. Doelling, N. Loeb, 2015: Assessment of NASA GISS CMIP5 and post-CMIP5 simulated clouds and TOA radiation budgets using satellite observations. Jr. 2020: CERES MODIS Cloud Product Retrievals for Edition 4, Part II: Comparisons to CloudSat and CALIPSO, IEEE Trans. Earth’s energy imbalance results in heat being stored in the climate system (mainly in Kato, S., F. G. Rose, D. R. Rutan, and T. P. Charlock, 2008: Cloud Effects on the meridional atmospheric energy budget estimated from Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) data. Climate Dynamics, 46(9-10), 3239-3257. doi: 10.1007/s00382-015-2766-z. Because it’s not a free market. Have you identified particular companies that stand out to you for genuine and concerted efforts pushing for pro-climate laws? Christensen, M.W. Clouds can cool the Earth by reflecting shortwave solar radiation back to space. The data help to evaluate and constrain state-of-the-art weather and climate models, which we rely upon to predict our future weather and climate. Phys., 18(17), 13265-13281 . Paulot, F., D. Paynter, P. Ginoux, V. Naik, L. W. Horowitz, 2018: Changes in the aerosol direct radiative forcing from 2001 to 2015: observational constraints and regional mechanisms. Reducing this uncertainty is one of (2018) use the CERES TOA and surface products to determine TOA clear-sky SW aerosol direct radiative effect (ADRE) over ocean and land between 2001-2015 and compare trends over this period with those based on the GFDL chemistry climate model AM3, driven by CMIP6 historical emissions. Some of it is just for better, stronger renewable portfolio standards — state laws that say a certain percentage of the electric power sold in our state has to be renewably generated. I wouldn’t say any companies stand out.

Today, as market realities demand investors focus attention on climate-related financial risks and investment opportunities, this report provides insight into market trends and key considerations, particularly for institutional investors. Institutional investors should require their consultants to improve and accelerate the integration of climate factors — both risks and opportunities — into their strategic asset allocation and investment strategy reviews and recommendations. Hundreds of companies, including Apple, Ikea, Facebook, Google and Danone have committed to going 100% renewable. An example of the use of CERES surface solar radiation data to monitor the performance of a number of solar photovoltaic array farms is shown in the figure to the right. Geophys. Res. infrared radiation and re-emit most of it back to the surface. global warming. The advocacy happens on different levels. Companies often find themselves butting up against a complex and antiquated electricity market that is beholden to the fossil fuel lobby and won’t adapt fast enough for their needs. and the remainder is absorbed by the atmosphere. Encyclopedia of Atmospheric Sciences (Second Edition), 67-76. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-382225-3.00349-2.