{"id":4963,"date":"2021-09-29T00:03:38","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T04:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/eci\/?p=4963"},"modified":"2022-04-22T10:04:08","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T14:04:08","slug":"getting-to-net-zero-can-we-do-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/eci\/2021\/09\/29\/getting-to-net-zero-can-we-do-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting to Net Zero: Can We Do It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Stacey Yuen<\/a><\/p>\n

In advance of the upcoming November climate summit in Glasgow, President Joe Biden has pledged<\/a> to slash US greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030, and 100 percent by 2050\u00a0 \u2212 a marked departure from the climate denialism that characterized much of his predecessor\u2019s term. With that commitment, the US now joins the ranks of major global players like the U.K. and European Union, which have vowed to cut emissions by 68 and 55 percent<\/a>, respectively, by 2030. The global effort to reach net zero emissions by 2050<\/a> is critical for avoiding the worst impacts of climate change, but a key question remains: Can countries do it, and if so, how?<\/p>\n

For Dr. Jonathan Harris<\/a>, a senior research fellow at the Economics in Context Initiative who specializes in the macroeconomics of global climate change, the numbers speak a resounding \u201cyes\u201d for the US context. Speaking at the Dimensions of Sustainability Earth Day Symposium 2021<\/em> organized by the University of Massachusetts Boston, Harris analyzed the feasibility of implementing a Green New Deal in the US, its potential impact on emissions and the American workforce and the costs of implementation.<\/p>\n