2020 is the year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, the worst virus in modern history that pushed society, economies and communities to their breaking point. However, it must not be forgotten that while the pandemic was raging, so was the climate emergency. 2020 marked record-breaking wildfires from Australia to the west coast of the United States, the highest number of powerful Atlantic storms that brought deadly flooding all across the globe, the failure of arctic ice to freeze before late October to name just a few natural disasters that went largely unnoticed this year. This past year has been a wake-up call to the world for other risks, particularly climate risks, which we know pose a far greater threat than the COVID-19 pandemic over the long term. The fight against the pandemic also offers a beacon of much needed hope for the climate crisis. We have seen the world mobilize and governments, policymakers and scientists pour infinite resources and time into attempting to “solve” or “fix” the pandemic. If this can be done to solve COVID-19, why can’t we marshal the resources necessary to address the climate crisis?
When it comes to climate action, there’s no vaccine, no single quick fix that will allow us to go back to our old normal. However, there are reasons to be hopeful for what 2021 will bring and the opportunities it presents in mitigating the climate crisis. After all, we must be hopeful. If climate activists and world leaders wish to convince communities and people to take action against climate change, it cannot be from a message of doom and gloom, that narrative has not proven effective. The rhetoric on climate change must move from disaster to a more positive and hopeful outlook. Many people are feeling mentally exhausted after 2020 and they do not need more reasons to be in despair about the fate of the world and their lives. We must reframe the climate emergency, not as a burden we inherited from our parents and grandparents, but rather as an opportunity to restart our economy, create jobs that benefit everyone and move towards a more equitable society. If we want our future to look different from this past year, we must empower ourselves and others to start tackling environmental destruction head-on and set the tone for 2021. Hopefully, we can turn 2021 into the year our political leaders took opportunities that the pandemic offered to tackle climate change. With this reinvigorated rhetoric about climate action in mind, I reflect on 5 reasons to feel hopeful about 2021, a sentiment we all desperately need right now.
- COP26 should have occurred in November 2020 in Glasgow. This was a chance for political leaders to review their nationally determined contributions to meet their Paris commitment from 2015. As a result of the pandemic, this has been postponed until 2021, giving countries that have fallen short of their commitments an opportunity to recommit themselves to reducing emissions. Models suggest that the world is likely to experience approximately a 3 degree Celsius of warming above pre-industrial temperatures by 2100, far more than the agreement’s aim. This year we can expect countries to announce their revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and ambitious goals. Recent announcements give us a hint as to what their NDC’s may be ahead of COP26. Xi Jinping recently announced that China aims to go carbon neutral by 2060. This is massive news, considering China accounts for 28% of world emissions. In addition, the United Kingdom made a legally binding net zero commitment by 2030. The EU followed suit by committing to reduce all its greenhouse-gas emissions to net-zero by 2050, in line with what the IPCC says is necessary to hit the 1.5 degree Celsius Paris target. Japan and South Korea have joined what the UN estimates is now a total of over 110 countries that have set a zero target goal for mid-century. Together, these countries represent more than 65% of global emissions and more than 70% of the world economy.
- The failed re-election campaign of Donald Trump this year is a reason to remain hopeful about climate action in 2021. With Trump out, Biden promises the White House will place a stronger focus on climate action and rejoin the Paris Agreement. Biden has unveiled ambitious climate policies and committed to making the fight against climate change centre stage. Strong U.S. leadership in a transition towards a green recovery and measurable emission reductions would have a positive effect on other countries’ climate policies. Countries that used Trump’s ambivalence towards climate change as justification to not take action themselves no longer have an excuse.
- One silver lining of the pandemic is that governments will be inclined to invest in green recovery plans which create jobs and cut emissions. In Justin Trudeau’s Throne Speech this past month and Chrystia Freeland’s economic statement, the Liberal party is committing to tying pandemic recovery to ambitious climate plans. This is the case in many countries, the US and EU are promising green investment to stimulate economic recovery and bounce back from the havoc COVID-19 has unleashed on the economy.
- This year is the first time in history that renewable energy investments will exceed investments in fossil fuels. This trend is likely to remain and over the course of 2021, making renewable energy cheaper. This means that those who were wary of it before may soon shift away from dirty energy sources as they no longer make economic sense. In October 2020, the International Energy Agency, concluded that the best solar power schemes now offer “the cheapest source of electricity in history.” Prices are likely to fall even further and spur greater investment in wind and solar and eventually replace coal and gas. If the fate of the planet was not enough of an incentive for investors, following the money will be.
- Youth. Despite the hardships of this past year and difficulties with social-distancing, masks, and travel restrictions we have seen no shortage of youth activism on climate change. The momentum garnered by Greta Thunberg and the 2019 Climate March, has continued to inspire youth activism. Young people who care about climate change are increasingly making up a larger proportion of the voting population. If politicians wish to get re-elected, they will have no choice but to focus policy and election platforms around the climate emergency.
There are many reasons to be hopeful for 2021, but we should not be naïve. Just because governments are committing to ambitious climate policies does not mean that they will come to fruition. What has been a driving force in keeping governments accountable to their net zero goals is its citizens not giving up the fight and rejecting complacency. We will not go back to “normal” once this is all over because even without the pandemic, normal was not okay and that is not a viable option if we want a prosperous future. 2021 is starting eerily similarly to 2020, horrible wildfires are currently raging in Australia, and the earth is under siege. We no longer have the luxury of time to sit around and wait to act, the pandemic has shown that inaction during a crisis produces horrible outcomes. Let’s learn from the pandemic and be empowered by reasons to be hopeful and optimistic about the human capacity to fight climate change. Rejecting attempts to turn climate action into a partisan issue, bi-lateral international action, sub-national action and applied human intelligence is our vaccine against climate change. Let’s hope the rollout of these can garner as much attention as that of the COVID vaccine.
