Environmental Chronology

Environmental Chronology (2004- 2012)

2004 – Delhi mandates the use of compressed natural gas in city buses and auto

Rickshaws, responding to rising civil society pressure over air pollution.

2005 - Kyoto Protocol enters into force, legally binding developed country parties to goals for

greenhouse gas emission reductions and establishing the Clean Development Mechanism for developing countries.

Emissions reductions obligations expire at the end of 2012.

Walmart institutes global sustainability strategy.

2006 - NASA reports that the ozone layer is recovering, due in part to reduced concentrations

Of CFCs, phased out under the Montreal Protocol.

Stern Review makes the convincing economic case that the costs of inaction on climate change will be Up to 20 times greater than measures required to address the issue today.

2007 - Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Parties agree to

an accelerated phase-out schedule for hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).

2008 - Green economy ideas enter the mainstream. National governments invest a portion of their economic stimulus in environmental actions, and a low-carbon economy and green growth become new objectives for the future economy.

World food, fuel and financial crises converge. Global food prices increase 43 per cent in

one year; growing energy demand in China, India and elsewhere sends energy prices soaring; financial institutions falter over the collapse of mortgage lending in the United States and markets tumble, sending the world into a recession.

2009 - G20 Pittsburgh Summit: G20 nations provide guidance for a 21st century global, sustainable and balanced economy. Leaders call for phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, and seek measures that will lead to sustainable consumption, while providing targeted support for the poorest people.

2010 - The rise of wind power. China becomes the world’s largest domestic market for wind power, exceeding its target for installed capacity by...