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The emission reduction targets or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that world governments agreed to under the Paris Agreement are “woefully inadequate,” according to the UN. It says governments must commit to targets that are at least three times more ambitious to limit the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius.
If there is any silver lining to the report, it is that the UN says the 2 degree target is still achievable if governments around the world commit to a “green recovery” out of the pandemic. Policy initiatives like the Green New Deal could reduce projected emissions in 2030 by as much as 25 percent. By investing in zero-emission technologies, cutting fossil fuel subsidies, not building new coal plants, and launching ambitious reforestation projects, there is even a chance that we can correct course towards the 1.5 degree target, provided that governments move fast enough.
People, particularly those living in the developed world, will also have to do their part. Emissions from the richest 1 percent, those who earn more than $ 109,000 a year, of the world’s population account for more than double the combined share of the world’s poorest 50 percent. Here again, the right policy could make a difference, with the UN suggesting that governments should invest in incentives and programs that encourage people to ride bicycles, travel by train instead of air when feasible, and make their homes are more energy efficient.
“Everyone from governments to businesses to individual consumers must work together to solve a growing crisis that will dwarf the impacts of COVID-19 in both scale and longevity.”
