Economic Growth Can Lead To Fewer Emissions

Governments and businesses can boost economic growth while reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, according to a new report released by the Global Commission on the Economy & Climate. Rapid improvements in technology, such as solar and wind energy equipment, and investments in new infrastructure, such as mass transit, are making this possible, the report says. Investments in urban infrastructure, agriculture, and energy systems can fuel low-carbon growth, it adds. The commission, composed of government, business, and financial leaders and economists, released the report last week in advance of a climate-change summit this week called by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Commission Chair Felipe Calderón, former president of Mexico, says the report “refutes the idea that we must choose between fighting climate change or growing the world’s economy.”