10 signs that climate change success is coming
10 signs that climate change success is coming
By Joe Ware
It has been a long, difficult fight to try to stop the worst of climate change and bring in a low-carbon world. Recently, there has not been much success.
International political agreements are too slow for the new technology for renewable energy. And for all the scientific and economic evidence that we must do something so we don’t rely fossil fuels. There is still a lot to do.
But there is a lot happening now.
1. The Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia (the world’s largest exporter of crude oil), Ali al-Naimi, said in May that he thinks it’s possible to stop using fossil fuels by 2050. And Saudi Arabia plans to be a world leader in solar and wind energy.
2. On 3 June, IKEA (the biggest furniture seller in the world) promised to give $1 billion to fight against climate change. This is more than some countries give.
$600 million of the money was for investment in renewable energy investments, so IKEA could become energy independent. The other $400 million was to help communities affected by climate change. This is a good example for national governments - they need to give money to both things: cutting carbon emissions and helping countries that are at risk.
3. The world’s largest wealth fund, Norway’s $890-billion pension fund, has just agreed to divest (take away the investment) $10 billion in coal. They are part of a big world divestment movement – taking investments away from coal (the fossil fuel that pollutes the most).
4. On 8 June, a study at the London School of Economics showed that Chinese carbon emissions could start decreasing in 2025. This is 5 years earlier than the date the government has agreed - 2030.
5. Also on 8 June, research by the International Trade Union Confederation showed that 9 out of 10 people around the world are demanding that their leaders do more to fight against climate change.
6. And also on 8 June, newspapers around the world said the G7 wants the world economy to have no carbon by the end of the century. And they said the national energy systems of G7 countries will change.
7. The UN climate agreements are progressing. They want the first whole world agreement to begin addressing climate change at the COP21 meeting in Paris in December. Countries are now sending in their INDCs (what their country will contribute) to make the Paris agreement.
8. Ethiopia, with the second biggest population in Africa, said it would aim at cutting emissions by 64% in 15 years. At the UN talks in Bonn, countries said they needed a clearer agreement for ministers to work on – this shows they are beginning to understand that they need quicker progress.
9. This week Pope Francis will publish his ‘Papal Encyclical on the Environment'. This will probably say that humans have used the resources of the world too much. So we need to fight against climate change. We need an ethical and economic revolution.
10. On Wednesday 17 June, there will be a big lobby of Britain’s Parliament. Maybe 10,000 people will be at Westminster in London to speak to MPs, telling them they must make the government fight against climate change. The Climate Coalition is organising this: more than 100 British organizations eg. Christian Aid and Surfers Against Sewage. They all want a clean, safe and prosperous planet.
So, big oil countries, furniture shops, economists and the Pope - all starting to change to a low-carbon world.
More information about Wednesday’s climate lobby: www.fortheloveof.org.uk/speakup.
Joe Ware is Church & Campaigns Journalist at Christian Aid
NOW READ THE ORIGINAL: http://newint.org/blog/2015/06/16/climate-change-success/ (This article has been simplified so the words, text structure and quotes may have been changed).
