讲座简介：

Rapid decarbonization of the global economy alongside reductions in emissions of non-CO2 climate drivers is required to keep global warming below 2°C and, in many areas, to reach air quality targets. However, current progress is insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement or WHO air quality targets. To provide data to support enhanced action, our research quantifies the beneficial impacts of sustainable development. We use these valuations to compare idealized choices and transformative scenarios. We find that millions of premature deaths related to fine particulate matter and heat exposure would be avoided under low-emission scenarios. The economic value of these health benefits alone is larger than the estimated mitigation costs in China and the US and would offset much of the costs in South Asia as well. Labor and agricultural benefits have smaller valuation but are nevertheless important in many areas. However, benefits from avoided climate change due to decarbonization occur largely in the latter half of this century. This highlights the imperative for complementary action to reduce methane – the strongest leverage we have over near-term climate change. Analyses of abatement costs and methane-related benefits attempt to provide support for optimizing methane mitigation strategies.

主讲人简介：

Dr. Drew Shindell is the Nicholas Professor of Earth Science at Duke University, with a research focus on climate change, air quality, and the intersection of science and policy. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from UC Berkeley and a Ph.D. in Physics from Stony Brook University. With over 300 peer-reviewed publications and more than 100,000 citations, Dr. Shindell is a highly regarded expert in his field. He was a Coordinating Lead Author on the 2013 Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC and on the 2018 IPCC Special Report on 1.5 ℃.

He has been honored by institutions such as Scientific American, NASA, NSF, and the EPA and is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In 2023, he was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, recognizing his significant contributions to climate science.