Every two weeks, Mike Moffatt, Senior Director at SPI, explores five things to watch in the green economy in a segment for Smart Prosperity: The Podcast. Click here to listen to this week's episode.

On top of all the additional news, research, and analysis covered in the podcast, here are five (other) things happening in the green economy this week:

1) Climate targets announced recently by Canada, the U.S. and other countries have put the world on track for a 2.4-degree rise in global temperatures, according to work by Climate Action Tracker. It’s a 0.2-degree improvement on the previous forecast, but falls short of the Paris Agreement’s 2 degree limit.

2) Germany has moved its net zero deadline to 2045 from 2050. This comes after a legal ruling by Germany’s highest court, that found the 2050 target was insufficient to protect future generations. Over 100 countries, including Canada, have pledged to hit net-zero by 2050.

3) There’s buzz in the “foodie” world as “Eleven Madison Park”, one of the world’s top-rated restaurants, announced that it is going 100% plant-based, due to the environmental impacts of raising meat. The menu will, however, keep its roughly 335-dollar per-customer price tag.

4) Wyoming is threatening to sue US states that won’t buy their coal. Wyoming is the country’s largest coal producer, but demand for coal in the US has been in steep decline as governments prioritize cleaner sources of energy.

5) Despite the worldwide lockdown, global emissions of methane have surged to record highs. A new UN-backed report says that reversing this trend could be the fastest way to slow climate change and calls for a 45% reduction this decade.

Bonus - 6) Unifor, a union representing oil and gas workers, says they don't object to Canada's latest emissions targets — and that the country could even aim for even more ambitious ones. But along with this greater ambition, they say, comes the need to plan for a "just transition" that won't leave workers behind.

Listen to the full segment, and plenty of other great content, in today's new episode of Smart Prosperity: The Podcast. Our podcast provides fresh takes on the current affairs, politics, research and business of the clean economy. New episodes posted every two weeks.