Why We Need to Strengthen Climate Commitments Every Five Years

The authors advocate for five-year cycles of climate commitments over ten-year cycles to better align with scientific data and the rapid pace of technological innovation. They argue that current intended national climate commitments are insufficient, potentially leading to warming of 3 to 3.5°C, and that shorter cycles provide the predictability necessary for business investment in a low-carbon economy.

• The authors support five-year commitment cycles because current intended national climate commitments (INDCs) are insufficient, suggesting a warming trajectory of 3 to 3.5°C, which would be irresponsible to lock in for 15 years.
• A ten-year cycle is viewed as inadequate because it fails to account for the rapid speed of technological innovation, changes in consumption and production, and low-carbon investment.
• The document cites evidence of targets being met ahead of schedule, noting that China's greenhouse gas emissions are likely to peak in 2025, five years earlier than the target set in November 2014, and the EU expects to exceed its Kyoto Protocol 2020 goal by 4.5 percent.
• Five-year cycles are presented as a way to provide businesses with the long-term clarity and short-term predictability needed for investment, citing the 75 percent price drop in solar cells over five years as an example of rapid change.

APA

Wei, D., & Cameron, E. (2015). Why We Need to Strengthen Climate Commitments Every Five Years. We Mean Business Coalition. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/why-we-need-to-strengthen-climate-commitments-every-five-years/

Chicago

Wei, David, and Edward Cameron. Why We Need to Strengthen Climate Commitments Every Five Years. We Mean Business Coalition, 2015. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/why-we-need-to-strengthen-climate-commitments-every-five-years/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Wei |first1=David |last2=Cameron |first2=Edward |title=Why We Need to Strengthen Climate Commitments Every Five Years |publisher=We Mean Business Coalition |date=9 June 2015 |url=https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/why-we-need-to-strengthen-climate-commitments-every-five-years/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{wei2015why, author = {Wei, David and Cameron, Edward}, title = {{Why We Need to Strengthen Climate Commitments Every Five Years}}, publisher = {We Mean Business Coalition}, year = {2015}, month = jun, url = {https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/blog/why-we-need-to-strengthen-climate-commitments-every-five-years/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }