[font face=Serif][font size=5]Lima Climate Accord Might Boost Renewables[/font]

[font size=4]Nations agree to start drafting climate action plans, which could encourage greater investment in clean energy.[/font]

By David Talbot on December 16, 2014

[font size=3]The United Nations climate negotiations that concluded over the weekend in Lima, Peru, included an agreement among 190 nations—rich and poor—to develop action plans over the next several months outlining how they will work to avert climate change. It is the first time so many nations have agreed to make such commitments.

This means more nations are likely to draft plans that embrace clean-tech innovation and renewable energy in advance of a hoped-for climate agreement in Paris next year, policy experts say.

“We see a clear role for setting bold renewable-energy targets that can cut emissions while boosting economic growth and energy diversity around the world,” says Risa Edelman, director of international programs at the American Council on Renewable Energy, an industry group based in Washington, DC.

The action plans are supposed to include statements about how each nation will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. They can include numerical reference points such as the time frame for reductions and a statement of how emissions will be calculated. The deadline for submission is the end of March 2015, with a second deadline in June for any stragglers.

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