Climate XXXX Emergency

Climate Change Emergency

Once you get off the subway station at the conference venue, you are met with the texts “Climate Emergency” and “#TimeForAction.”  Statistics are listed to support this claim, including melting glaciers, desertification and climate migration.  Last week, in advance of COP 25, the European Parliament adopted a resolution to declare a “climate emergency,” calling for a European Green Deal.  As we were reminded in the opening ceremony, the world has allowed too much time to elapse, and rather than decreasing emissions by 3.3%/year (if we had started a decade ago), we have increased emissions by 1.5%/year.  The recent UNEP emissions gap report claims that we are aiming for a 3.2C increase by 2100 — if countries succeed with their current pledges for decreasing emissions.  The countries, particularly the G20 countries that account for 78% of emissions, need to be much more ambitious if we are to keep the temperature rise to under 2C.  So, there is a palpable change in the negotiations — transformation change is required, and many are talking about the climate emergency.  Yet, from all of the science and impacts we are already seeing, I wonder how long it will take for the COP to recognize a climate crisis?  It seems the time has come for a shift in our language, ambition, and action.