Post by account_disabled on Feb 22, 2024 6:00:50 GMT
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people insisted that societies could not and should not return to normal after it. The Coronavirus not only confronted us with danger, but showed what was possible. By forcing massive change overnight, he demonstrated that drastic measures could be taken when a crisis was urgent enough; that many people could agree to make sacrifices when it was truly necessary and that governments could invest billions when the future of their countries demanded it. However, as the great lockdown has turned into a gradual reopening, there is little indication that these lessons have been learned. Few measures: Greta Thunberg Greta Thunberg's call for climate action must be seen in this context. The activist, she wrote for The Guardian on the second anniversary of her first school strike, saying the world has wasted this time. While millions of people have been inspired to follow her in protest, and the European Parliament has declared a climate and environmental emergency, little action has been taken. The reconfiguration of economies Over the past six months or so, the pandemic has not only demonstrated that change can be faster than previously anticipated, but has also offered a practical opportunity to reconfigure economies.
Governments are spending money like never before in peacetime. Germany and South Korea have taken this opportunity to make major green investments. Others, including the United Kingdom, have not done so. Surprisingly, G20 countries are spending much more on support for fossil fuels than on low-carbon energy in their rescue packages; few even imposed green targets when bailing out the airlines, as France did. Boris Johnson promised Britain would "build back greener" and Rishi Sunak promised a green recovery. However, the Chancellor's summer statement showed very Bulgaria Mobile Number List little sign of this beyond the £3bn lockdown program – hardly impressive given the £9bn promised in the Conservatives' November manifesto. These shortcomings become even more evident when the UK is not on track to meet its 2025 or 2030 carbon targets, and when it will host the crucial United Nations climate change conference next year. Rising temperatures and strange weather patterns A week ago, scientists warned that the last decade was the hottest ever recorded. In recent weeks, Britons have been hit by a heatwave and farmers have warned of the worst wheat harvest since the 1980s due to consecutive seasons of extreme weather. The movement's demands may seem unrealistic, but it is even more so to believe that our societies could survive global warming and the other disastrous ecological outcomes we are headed for. The question is, will the changes be on our terms, or on nature's terms? Greta Thunberg.
Just over a decade ago, the UN Secretary-General and others called for a Green New Deal in response to the global financial crisis. The world missed that opportunity, and seems ready to repeat its mistake. However, the benefits of a drastic shift in priorities are clearer than ever: Economists and health experts say they will outweigh the costs. The World Economic Forum said last month that tackling what it calls “the global nature crisis” could create 400 million jobs and $10 million (£8 million) in business value each year by 2030 while the rate Current destruction threatens half of the world's GDP. Do we still have time to act? Despite everything, the reality is that there is still time to act. Economic rescue packages are still being formed; the one in Berlin has shown what is possible. In the UK, coal's role in power generation has been reduced from almost 25% to 2% in just a few years, and the offshore wind industry is thriving. The ban on gasoline and diesel cars scheduled for 2035 should be accelerated, and the installation of gas boilers should be banned. But above all, the budget for the pandemic response must be directed to those sectors of the economy that can reduce global warming, not worsen it.