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This study provides five reasons to be optimistic about the climate, ranging from solar power to electric mobility.
It is understandable why climate concern is at an all-time high given that emissions are continuously increasing and natural disasters are wreaking havoc worldwide.
However, there is still hope. According to a recent study, there have been five significant changes since the 2015 signing of the Paris Agreement.
Although phrases like net zero and decarbonization have grown commonplace, this hasn’t always been the case. Recognizing our progress over the last ten years allows us to evaluate both our areas of improvement and our areas for improvement.
According to a report by the German non-profit NewClimate Institute, there are five ways that we are moving in the right direction, from solar deployment to electric mobility.
The conversation on climate change has gained traction.
Only certain segments of society were genuinely conscious of and concerned about climate change ten years ago.
In recent years, it has changed drastically. According to a BBC survey that surveyed people in 17 different countries, 40% of them thought that climate change was a major problem. This percentage increased to 60% by 2020.
An even more noticeable change was seen in the larger “Peoples Climate Vote,” which was conducted in 50 countries in 2021 by the UNDP and University of Oxford.
Eighty-five percent of respondents in Eastern Europe and Central Asia said that climate change was a worldwide emergency. The agreement was shared by 72% of Western Europeans and North Americans, 64% of Arabs, 63% of Latin Americans, the Caribbean, and Asia Pacific, and 61% of Sub-Saharan Africans.
COP28 accord criticized by Greta Thunberg as “toothless, insufficient, another betrayal”
Describe greenhushing. How to recognize the advanced greenwashing strategies in use in 2023
The topic is currently at the forefront of global public and political discourse. Citizens are now better informed about the causes and effects of climate challenges because to increased media coverage and educational initiatives.
The learning curve has been much steeper in regions of the world that are already experiencing the effects of climate change.
However, governments and corporations are coming under increasing pressure to act as social movements and climate protests gain momentum.
Furthermore, developments in attribution science have enabled climate lawsuits to hold them legally responsible when they fail. Just this year, Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, Portuguese youngsters, and a UK environmental charity have sued their nations.
The majority of nations are working toward net-zero, and projections of temperature rise are less optimistic.
Net zero objectives are widely used by both large corporations and governments. However, Bhutan was the only nation to set such a goal in 2015.
More than 90 nations have now joined, accounting for almost 80% of global emissions.
According to the NewClimate Institute, policy discussions in the past have focused on trade-offs between industries and nations as well as gradual carbon reductions. However, a completely decarbonized economy is now widely accepted, even in the Global South.
The anticipated emissions curve has flattened, but there is still much work to be done to reach these reductions and stay inside the 1.5C limit.
It was predicted that by 2100, the temperature would have increased by 3.6 to 3.9C. That estimate has dropped to 2.7C today.
Businesses and investors are under pressure to take climate action.
Climate change was a specialized subject for corporations and investors before to the Paris Agreement. There is currently demand to acknowledge it as a significant threat.
These days, a lot of businesses report and disclose their climate impacts; some are even required by law to do so. Green technologies are causing a shift in conventional company models, and low-carbon prospects are becoming more and more popular as businesses want to enhance their credentials.
There is a growing demand for sustainable investing. According to PwC, 84% of asset owners worldwide reported using or assessing sustainable investment methods in 2021, up from roughly 53% three years prior.
The risk of stranded assets is driving finance away from polluting energy sources and towards renewables as COP28 this month seals the shift away from fossil fuels.
Furthermore, it is becoming more difficult for corporations to deceive us as governments and individuals grow more aware of greenwashing initiatives. The risk of climate litigation is increasing for those who attempt it.
As worldwide and EU regulators promise to crack down on greenwashing, the UK launches new eco-finance labels 2. Fossil fuels are currently more expensive than renewables.
Renewable energy sources were previously unable to match fossil fuels in terms of price or availability. All of that has altered in the last few years.
Power networks are transitioning to decentralized, adaptable models that incorporate hydropower, solar power, and wind power.
According to the IPCC, the cost of solar, onshore wind, and offshore wind has decreased by 60 to 90 percent in the past ten years, demonstrating that the pace of this transformation has beyond predictions. In 90% of the world, new renewable energy sources are currently more affordable than new fossil fuels.
This study provides five reasons to be optimistic about the climate, ranging from solar power to electric mobility.
It is understandable why climate concern is at an all-time high given that emissions are continuously increasing and natural disasters are wreaking havoc worldwide.
However, there is still hope. According to a recent study, there have been five significant changes since the 2015 signing of the Paris Agreement.
Although phrases like net zero and decarbonization have grown commonplace, this hasn’t always been the case. Recognizing our progress over the last ten years allows us to evaluate both our areas of improvement and our areas for improvement.
According to a report by the German non-profit NewClimate Institute, there are five ways that we are moving in the right direction, from solar deployment to electric mobility.
The conversation on climate change has gained traction.
Only certain segments of society were genuinely conscious of and concerned about climate change ten years ago.
In recent years, it has changed drastically. According to a BBC survey that surveyed people in 17 different countries, 40% of them thought that climate change was a major problem. This percentage increased to 60% by 2020.
An even more noticeable change was seen in the larger “Peoples Climate Vote,” which was conducted in 50 countries in 2021 by the UNDP and University of Oxford.
Eighty-five percent of respondents in Eastern Europe and Central Asia said that climate change was a worldwide emergency. The agreement was shared by 72% of Western Europeans and North Americans, 64% of Arabs, 63% of Latin Americans, the Caribbean, and Asia Pacific, and 61% of Sub-Saharan Africans.
COP28 accord criticized by Greta Thunberg as “toothless, insufficient, another betrayal”
Describe greenhushing. How to recognize the advanced greenwashing strategies in use in 2023
The topic is currently at the forefront of global public and political discourse. Citizens are now better informed about the causes and effects of climate challenges because to increased media coverage and educational initiatives.
The learning curve has been much steeper in regions of the world that are already experiencing the effects of climate change.
However, governments and corporations are coming under increasing pressure to act as social movements and climate protests gain momentum.
Furthermore, developments in attribution science have enabled climate lawsuits to hold them legally responsible when they fail. Just this year, Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, Portuguese youngsters, and a UK environmental charity have sued their nations.
The majority of nations are working toward net-zero, and projections of temperature rise are less optimistic.
Net zero objectives are widely used by both large corporations and governments. However, Bhutan was the only nation to set such a goal in 2015.
More than 90 nations have now joined, accounting for almost 80% of global emissions.
According to the NewClimate Institute, policy discussions in the past have focused on trade-offs between industries and nations as well as gradual carbon reductions. However, a completely decarbonized economy is now widely accepted, even in the Global South.
The anticipated emissions curve has flattened, but there is still much work to be done to reach these reductions and stay inside the 1.5C limit.
It was predicted that by 2100, the temperature would have increased by 3.6 to 3.9C. That estimate has dropped to 2.7C today.
Businesses and investors are under pressure to take climate action.
Climate change was a specialized subject for corporations and investors before to the Paris Agreement. There is currently demand to acknowledge it as a significant threat.
These days, a lot of businesses report and disclose their climate impacts; some are even required by law to do so. Green technologies are causing a shift in conventional company models, and low-carbon prospects are becoming more and more popular as businesses want to enhance their credentials.
There is a growing demand for sustainable investing. According to PwC, 84% of asset owners worldwide reported using or assessing sustainable investment methods in 2021, up from roughly 53% three years prior.
The risk of stranded assets is driving finance away from polluting energy sources and towards renewables as COP28 this month seals the shift away from fossil fuels.
Furthermore, it is becoming more difficult for corporations to deceive us as governments and individuals grow more aware of greenwashing initiatives. The risk of climate litigation is increasing for those who attempt it.
As worldwide and EU regulators promise to crack down on greenwashing, the UK launches new eco-finance labels 2. Fossil fuels are currently more expensive than renewables.
Renewable energy sources were previously unable to match fossil fuels in terms of price or availability. All of that has altered in the last few years.
Power networks are transitioning to decentralized, adaptable models that incorporate hydropower, solar power, and wind power.
According to the IPCC, the cost of solar, onshore wind, and offshore wind has decreased by 60 to 90 percent in the past ten years, demonstrating that the pace of this transformation has beyond predictions. In 90% of the world, new renewable energy sources are currently more affordable than new fossil fuels.
