Is 6 Percent The World’s Most Important Number?

In his latest book “The Big Pivot: Radically Practical Strategies for a Hotter, Scarcer, and More Open World,” green business guru Andrew Winston writes, “the six-percent-per-year target may be the most important metric of our collective well-being.” But what does he refer to?

According to audit and consulting firm PwC, for the world to continue growing economically at current rates without exceeding 2 C warming of average surface temperature over preindustrial levels, carbon intensity — the amount of carbon released per unit GDP — needs to be reduced by 6 percent annually from now to 2100. The problem? That’s nine times the current rate of decarbonization.

One solution rises above all others according to PwC, though: A global climate deal that could “provide the regulatory framework and financial stimulus to catalyze a low–carbon transition.” A climate agreement that includes carbon pricing would be the biggest step forward.

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The World’s Most Important Number