Happy Earth Day plus 1!
This one is worth celebrating as I’ll explain. Looking back, it’s clear we have turned a corner on finally taking the climate emergency seriously. Yes, climate actions have yet to meet the challenge the emergency requires but we are getting there.
As I’ve said here before there is enormous public support for climate action.
Need-to-Know 1: Majorities of citizens in high-income countries want their governments to “do everything necessary, urgently”
Now a poll out this week from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication shows there is overwhelming support for participation in the Paris Climate Agreement by people in every country surveyed. Even in the US 74 per cent support it.
Not surprisingly after four years of climate-denying Republican rule, the US has the biggest group of non-supporters but they’re a small minority.
Need-to-Know 2: Peoples in all countries want their governments to take more action on climate and to make it a priority.
The poll also found that an incredible 91% of Mexicans want their government to make climate action a priority. In recent years Mexico has been hard hit by extreme weather. However, their current government under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is ignoring the public’s sensible desire for climate action and plans to ramp up fossil fuel production including coal. At the same time López Obrador cancelled renewable energy projects.
Need-to-Know 3: Leadership can be a matter of life and death as we’ve learned to our sorrow with the pandemic.
It’s the same with the climate emergency. Leaders’ decisions will determine the fate of billions today and tens of billions of people in the decades to come.
When we vote, we’re putting our lives, and those of our families, on the line.
So what was worth celebrating on Earth Day?
Countries, including the U.S., announced stronger targets to tackle climate change at President Biden's Earth Day Leaders Summit on Climate. A few highlights:
U.S. will cut emissions 50 to 52 per cent by 2030, effectively doubling its previous target
Canada bumped up its target from 30 per cent to between 40 and 45 per cent
United Kingdom a legally-binding target:78 per cent reduction by 2035*
The European Union also set a new target, which is also legally-binding, of 55 per cent by 2030 *
Japan, long a laggard, boosted it’s target from 26 per cent to 46 per cent reduction on 2013 levels
China, the world’s biggest emitter of carbon, will have an emissions peak by 2030 and total carbon neutrality by 2060
*Those targets are reductions compared to emissions in 1990 while the U.S. and Canada levels are compared to emissions in 2005, a less challenging baseline.
There were other commitments to boost reduction targets. Australia’s stubborn refusal to increase its previous pathetic target stood out. It is probably why Prime Minister Scott Morrison came across as churlish and insulted anyone would ask Australia to do more, never mind its fair share.
Then there was Brazil’s President Bolsonaro who came across as unhinged from reality — or maybe it was just a bad translator ;].
Canada needs to take 8 million cars off its roads — annually
I wrote an article on the Summit and calculated that Canada’s new target means a reduction in emissions between 33 and 37 million tons a year. That’s equivalent to taking 7 to 8 million passenger vehicles off the roads every year until 2030. Canada only has 23 million passenger vehicles.
The experts called this new target “challenging”.
Need-to-Know 4: We’ve left significant action on climate late, so even these enhanced targets aren’t good enough. So challenging times ahead.
That said the focus right now needs to be on taking the action necessary to reach the targets we do have. The optimist in me thinks that once we get started, experience some of the benefits of a low-carbon living, our efforts and our ability to cut emissions will snowball.
And let’s hope that snowball won’t melt but just keep rolling along.
From a previous NtK issue:
We’re going to live in a fossil-fuel-free world
Suddenly, or so it will seem, almost all vehicles on the roads will be electric, the air will be fresher and the streets quieter as you silently pull up to curb on your electric-bike where the parking meter is also a charging station.
Our part in all this is to do what we can to reduce our own emissions and, through our example, inspire others. We will also need to publicly support and insist on climate action. Many will resist some of the changes, only able to see narrowly and in the short term. Much of that is motivated by fear of change.
Many of us have “if it’s not broke why fix it?” mentality. To be clear, we’re breaking the climate system and we need to fix it.
Need-to-Know 5: We’re breaking the climate system and we need talk about it.
But even knowing that won’t be enough to motivate change.
On Earth Day, Swedish activist Ingmar Rentzhog addressed the issue of fear of change in a way I hadn’t considered before. In a short talk Rentzhog explained that fear was the solution; specifically, the fear of missing out:
‘The fear of missing out is how we conquer the fear of change and reach the critical mass to stop the climate crisis.
The fear of losing money on your investments in fossil fuels;
The fear of not making the right investment in the new clean economy;
The fear of not eating healthy green foods;
The fear of not being able to drive a modern electric vehicle or e-bike;
The fear of being the last one to change and have a better life.’
Note: this is a brief paraphrase of the talk
Rentzhog concluded by saying we all need to move out of our comfort zones and “together we are the solution to the climate crisis”.
I’ve only been vaguely aware of Rentzhog’ s “We Don’t Have Time” social network based in Stockholm. Looking through their materials I see a lot people I know are involved so I can recommend checking it out and joining. I have.
And do listen to his short talk, and let me know what you thought.
Until next time, stay safe and stay strong.
Stephen