1.5°C Is Doable. The Barriers Are All Political
Isn’t it time to recognize that a 1.5°C limit on average global warming was a nice idea, but obviously unattainable given the cost of change and the political realities we face?
Even if we know that the difference between 1.5 and 2.0°C is measured in millions of lives lost, untold suffering, and massive environmental degradation, isn’t it time to accept that future, avoid these losses, and adapt as best we can?
Here’s what we should be asking instead.
Why is there any doubt about reaching the 1.5°C target when the depth and severity of the climate crisis are clear to all, there is no scientific doubt that the target is attainable, and the solutions to get us there are practical, affordable, and ready to scale up?
And if political will https://www.theenergymix.com/2018/10/08/1-5c-is-doable-but-just-a-dozen-years-left-to-get-on-a-low-carbon-pathway/, not technical or financial capacity, is the only thing standing in the way of stabilizing the Earth’s systems and minimizing harm for billions of people, why are we letting politics stand in the way?
The bottom line is that the countries that caused the lion’s share of the problem don’t get to declare the 1.5°C solution dead, just because they think it’s inconvenient. Certainly when they’ve done so little since the 2015 Paris conference to make the promise a reality.
Limiting global warming to 1.5°C by the end of the century won’t be a paradise. But it’s still a better future for all, and we can still get it done with the political will to curtail fossil fuels and shift trillions in global financial flows to practical, affordable solutions. |Read more https://www.theenergymix.com/2023/01/16/1-5c-is-doable-the-barriers-are-all-political/|
#environment #ClimateChange #world #cdnpoli #cop27