Do we dare start to hope for the future?
Hope is a challenge for many these days, and there are a lot of reasons why hope is hard to come by. The relentlessness of the pandemic is certainly having its way, but so is government apathy towards the climate crisis.
In one article from a weekend reads in 2020, I shared that Donald Trump sent climate progress back by a decade. Lots of other things have slipped recently too, for example, reports state progress on equality has slipped back by a generation — yes, not a decade, a generation!! We’ve certainly got work to do.
And so last week, Joe Biden hosted his Climate Summit and there is great news and bad.
1. America has lost a LOT of trust in recent years and will struggle to regain it! They have to go all-out as a global leader, and some experts are pleased with Joe’s announcements, BUT there is not enough in the budget for developing economies to solve the crisis too — the countries who did not start this crisis, but will certainly pay the human cost of it
2. The US have pledged to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and that is a great announcement. The EU is doing more, the UK best of all, but it is refreshing to see this. China is expected to reach peak emissions by 2030 and get to net zero by 2060 — however, based on all the science, we can’t wait that long and China must reduce emissions rapidly, or it’s a foregone disaster
3. Australia, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Russia did not make any new pledges to reduce oil, gas or coal emissions. For developing countries I can understand, but for developed countries (like my own country) it is shameful
4. China is the largest emitter today, and the USA is second, but many of China’s emissions are on the back of building an economy to make cheap crap to sell into the US! Please stop buying cheap crap. This model has been the basis of China’s evolution into a super power and they have done an amazing job, but the climate impact has been devastating. Why do you think the climate crisis got so bad so fast? Regardless, China is playing politics. They will make a commitment dependent on the USA’s response to Beijing’s policies on Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjian Province. China, we can’t do this. We must come together and overcome. The two biggest polluters must act, or we will all face catastrophe!
So it’s hopeful and harrowing at the same time.
The other issue in the world that is harrowing right now is the pandemic in India. My word, it is heartbreaking to read about the situation there and when I speak with my friend’s in India, they’re all going through a world of hell. I hope the government wakes up and gets oxygen out to everyone who needs it, and now!! So many hospitals not getting the supplies promised. People dying on the streets, because the overflowing hospitals can’t take them in. Harrowing.
I don’t pray but I hope this situation gets under control soon. The reality is, we know we have weeks of this ahead. Stay strong my friends. Stay safe.
Some articles on Biden’s Climate Summit to read
Biden plans to cut emissions at least in half by 2030
On Climate, Biden Takes On ‘Our Generation’s Moonshot’
Biden’s Climate Summit Sets Up a Bigger Test of American Power
US President Joe Biden to ‘propose hiking tax on rich’
And the India crisis
India Covid surge: Hospitals send SOS as record deaths registered
India sees world’s highest daily cases amid oxygen shortage
Covid-19 in India: Why second coronavirus wave is devastating
Covid in Uttar Pradesh: Coronavirus overwhelms India’s most populous state
Do you think we can dare to hope?
Cheers
Andrea
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