From a global climate accord to major domestic progress on the renewables front, 2015 was a great year for clean energy. As the 12 days of Christmas concludes today, January 5, here are—fittingly—12 things we saw as the biggest developments of the year, in no particular order.
1. Climate Accord Reached
In December, 196 nations reached a landmark accord to address climate change—committing nearly every country to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement achieved at COP21 in Paris aims to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2°C by 2100 with an ideal target of keeping temperature rise below 1.5°C. The draft agreement also sets a goal for developed countries to pay at least $100 billion per year by 2020 to developing countries for mitigation and adaptation. COP21 also held the first-ever UNFCC buildings day to improve the energy efficiency of buildings globally.
2. U.S Gets its First-Ever Clean Power Plan
In August, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the first-ever national standards to reduce carbon emissions from power plants. The Clean Power Plan not only cuts significant amounts […]
