Besides the “virtual” climate summit taking place in New York on Saturday, the past week has also included the release of major reports on the global climate and fossil fuel production. UN Secretary-General, António Guterres describes the upcoming summit as a “top priority” for the 21st Century.
The nations of the world are now seeing and feeling the impacts if global warming, and in many ways, it seems as if nature is striking back at us – from the thawing Arctic to raging wildfires in Australia and the U.S. West.
And because humanity has mishandled the environment, we are seeing a collapse in biodiversity, spreading deserts, and oceans reaching record temperatures.
This year’s climate summit is going to be a virtual experience due to the coronavirus pandemic. And to that end, the French and British governments and Mr. Guterres invited political leaders to submit a 45-second video outlining what they consider to be “ambitious new commitments” they have planned.
The European Union and 76 countries made the cut, according to Politico.
Meeting the conditions of the Paris Climate Accord
The Paris agreement was a promise, signed by 196 countries, to do their part in holding the rise in average global temperatures to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. And while this commitment was non-binding, it was taken seriously.
The countries of the world have mostly stuck to that promise, but five years later, temperatures have already risen by more than 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels, and the world has seen a lot of change – politically and economically. The coronavirus has had a great impact on the economies of the world, yet it too is a warning to us.
Because of worldwide lockdowns, global greenhouse gas emissions dropped about 7.0 percent – mainly due to a reduction in vehicular and air travel. The pandemic also caused oil prices to sink, resulting in a steep decline in production. But the reduction in GHG is temporary as global warming continues.
Climate politics – then and now
A lot has changed since that 2015 promise. Siberia, Australia, the American West, Portugal, and the Amazon have experienced monstrous wildfires – some burning for weeks and months.
Weather-related events, from tropical cyclones to monsoons and typhoons have killed thousands around the world and caused billions of dollars in economic damage.
Thankfully, during the last five years, many leaders, businesses, and corporations began pushing to do more than just rely on promises, pledging to slash carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050.
“We are seeing the payoff of the push we all made in Paris,” said Alden Meyer, a longtime veteran of the U.N. talks and an analyst for the E3G climate change think-tank, reports Reuters. “Net-zero was a radical concept not too long ago.”
Greenhouse gas emissions have to be reduced
Scientists are saying that it is now imperative that GHG emissions be halved over the next 10 years. But government action still falls well short of that. “If you look at the immediate action that we need right now, it’s like we are still in a state of denial,” Swedish activist Greta Thunberg told reporters on Tuesday.
This issue is one thing that is absolutely necessary if we are going to save our planet, and the one thing diplomats will be looking at closely, seeing which countries are willing to take that first step in seriously slashing GHG emissions.
“What we have to do is translate what we can do into what we will do – and that is where many of us worry,” said British climate economist Nicholas Stern.
The EU, looking to stake its claim on being a global climate leader early Friday morning agreed on a new target of slashing net greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030.
The United Kingdom, already taking a stand – boosted its ambition for 2030 emissions cuts from the 40 percent goal it shared with the EU, to 68 percent. China – the largest GHG emitter – surprised many in September by announcing of the goal of net-zero by 2060.
Adding pledges from Japan and South Korea means over 50 percent of global emissions are now under net-zero targets, U.N. officials say. A commitment from the United States will have to wait until President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti — a great friend and confidant of Biden who has carried the flag for climate change — will be speaking Saturday as an “unofficial voice of the future administration.” Expect his words to carry the weight of an incoming presidency keen to make amends.
A normal world or a Greener World?
We all want to get back to a normal life after this pandemic, but the UN Secretary-General asks, “do we want to get back to a world of inequality, injustice, and heedless dominion over the Earth?” The Saturday summit is a chance to make peace with nature.
A better, greener, and more sustainable world is possible, but it will take all of us – working together and rethinking the relationship we have with our environment.
