The world is at a critical juncture, and the next 18 months have the potential to significantly impact global efforts to curb global warming. Just last week, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for immediate action and said it was time for nations to come together and deliver on climate promises. His message has crystallized into one clear word: if we don’t act now, it will be a catastrophe.
Why 1.5°C Matters
The primary goal of global efforts to combat climate change is to limit the increase in earth temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels. Scientists based this goal on the Paris Agreement, warning that exceeding this threshold could irreversibly alter Earth’s climate. In simple terms, that means there could be heatwaves and floods, as well as more wildfires and rising sea levels, often with increased strength.
To date, global temperatures had already breached 1.5°C in 2023. Extreme heatwaves tore apart Europe; deadly wildfires torched Canada and Hawaii; unprecedented rainfall pummeling South Korea, South Africa, and China; and on and on. And it’s not just the air that heats up. Our oceans took over 90% of the heat from global warming to become the hottest they’ve ever been. This led to a dramatic decrease in sea ice, particularly in Antarctica, where ice coverage had decreased from previous lows by over a million square kilometers.
Experts believe the heat may cross the 1.5°C mark for the first time in 2024. Reaching this threshold in one year does not imply that we are no longer in the Paris Agreement; it simply means we have little time to make significant changes. In fact, the world may permanently pass the 1.5°C threshold in the early 2030s unless we shift our current course, unleashing catastrophic, long-lasting effects.
The Tipping Points We Don’t Want to Cross
What makes this crisis so urgent is the threat of crossing “tipping points” in the Earth’s climate system. “Tipping points” are thresholds. Once passed, they will set in motion powerful and irreversible changes. For example, melting polar ice sheets would result in dramatic sea-level rises threatening the world’s coastal cities. In several parts of the world, the breakdown of large-scale oceanic circulation could dramatically shift the region’s most susceptible to drought and flood.
The positive news is that this is the beginning of the Clean Energy Revolution.
There is, however, hope in the offering. Clean energy technologies are transforming the world at a breathtaking speed—those of them that can cut greenhouse gases to levels that avoid dangerous climate change, that is. While growth in solar and wind power has slowed from meteoric increases, global renewable energy capacity rose 50% in 2023 over 2022 levels. In one year, the addition of renewable energy was sufficient to power Germany, France, and Spain combined.
For example, electric vehicles are becoming more popular in the market, with sales increasing by 31% in 2023. Last year, Australia saw a more than doubled increase in electric vehicle sales, and it expects this trend to continue. Governments worldwide are stepping up their policies of phasing out coal, oil, and gas and switching to renewable sources of energy, while clean technology is also affordable and economical these days.
China is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world and is planning a widespread clean energy overhaul.
The Road Ahead: Halving Emissions by 2030
In the clean energy space, we have reason to believe that we are moving in the right direction. This is still not sufficient to forestall the worst of the climate crisis scenario: We are going to have to cut global emissions by roughly half by 2030 if we are to avoid the worst of the climate crisis. This is a tremendous task, but it is well within our reach if we act now.
In the clean energy space, we have reason to believe that we are moving in the right direction. This is still not sufficient to forestall the worst of the climate crisis scenario: We are going to have to cut global emissions by roughly half by 2030 if we are to avoid the worst of the climate crisis. This is a tremendous task, but it is well within our reach if we act now.
Further acceleration of the transition toward renewable sources of energy and a decrease in the use of fossil fuels can determine the path forward.
Further acceleration of the transition toward renewable sources of energy and a decrease in the use of fossil fuels can determine the path forward.
