Mitigating Near-Term Climate Change While Advancing Human Development

Explore the complex interplay between climate change mitigation and human development in this 51-minute Charney Lecture from the 2012 AGU Fall Meeting. Delve into the multifaceted approach of addressing multiple environmental goals simultaneously and how it can lead to a different prioritization of policy options. Examine the impact of practical emissions reduction strategies and their potential differences from historical emissions changes or idealized perturbations. Discover how aggressive application of existing technologies and policies can reduce near-term warming, disrupt traditional precipitation patterns, and simultaneously improve human health and agricultural yields. Gain insights into the benefits and limitations of these actions within the broader context of societal efforts to mitigate climate change and foster human development. Compare estimates of economic valuation of benefits with implementation costs. Investigate topics such as global warming potential, methane, black carbon measures, near-term vs. long-term impacts, full climate simulations, air quality impacts, development benefits, and the implications of reducing pollutants. Learn about climate coalitions, short-lived climate pollutants, long-term climate change, wildfires, and the ongoing quest for sustainable solutions.