Volume 18 Issue 22
The Leaders’ Climate Summit was held recently, bringing together over 40 leaders to outline ambitious new actions towards a 1.5C pathway. US President Joe Biden doubled the US targets to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with Japan and Canada raising pledges and the EU and Britain locking in forceful targets. The climate experts expressed cautious optimism about the success of the ambition. But the effects of climate change are already being felt and the emissions are on track for the second largest increase in history in 2021 amid the recovery from the Covid pandemic. Achieving the goals of carbon neutrality by mid-century will depend on technological innovations that do not yet exist.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) considered that the current targets, including the ones made at the leaders’ summit, would not be enough to meet the level of ambition needed to avert climate catastrophe. This is simply not aligned with the science.
Another challenge is that developing countries like Bangladesh needed adequate finance to meet their climate and development goals to drive momentum on climate action. However, it’s a good sign that the leaders are holding talks about the climate issues again.
