Decarbonization

The "Climate Backtracker," a database by Columbia University's Sabin Center for Climate Change that tracks steps taken by the Trump administration to scale back or eliminate federal climate mitigation and adaption measures, lists nearly 100 actions taken since Jan. 9. … But these executive orders could significantly slow down global progress on reaching their net-zero goals -- something individual countries are already struggling with, experts told ABC News. …

Citing the slow pace of global decarbonization, Morgan Stanley explained that it would instead be targeting a range of temperature outcomes, with a lower bound of 1.7C. … While efforts to reach net-zero emissions by the middle of the century are “ecologically and economically essential,” the standard also has been “terribly misapplied” in the financial and corporate sectors, said Lisa Sachs, who heads Columbia University’s Center on Sustainable Investment.

While decarbonization is a primary driver of the nuclear resurgence, energy security is another critical factor, said Rama Ponangi, who researches nuclear policies at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy (CGEP). “New York is highly electricity intensive. … Most of the advanced nuclear technology deployments in the country are not expected until after 2030, and Columbia’s Ponangi thinks it may take even longer, cautioning that construction and deployment delays are common in nuclear projects, making it difficult to meet deadlines.