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Joe Biden’s 50% emissions goal is ambitious. But it’s still not enough
(The Guardian, 12 May 2021) Addressing the climate crisis will be the greatest undertaking in the history of humankind. We have to give it all we have.
Joe Biden wants to cut US emissions in half from their 2005 levels. However, since emissions have been slowly declining since then, this amounts to only a 37% drop from 2020 levels.
That, in a nutshell, is the issue. Our leaders are adhering to a template that doesn’t meet the urgency of the moment. The US is not even the world’s largest emitter any more, and China – the biggest polluter – seeks to build more coal-fired power plants, failing to reach carbon neutrality until 2060. Unfortunately, that is a perfect illustration of just how disconnected we are from the gravity of the situation.
We’re in a climate emergency, but we still have time to limit the pain. The policy choices, corporate actions and overall responses from the global community over the next 10 years will dictate whether we sink or swim as carbon emissions spark rising sea levels and extreme weather events. But, so long as we continue to use the Paris agreement as the benchmark for success, we will fail to make enough progress in time.
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The Guardian, 12 May 2021: Joe Biden’s 50% emissions goal is ambitious. But it’s still not enough
