Five reasons to have hope in climate protection – 12/18/2023 – Environment

Despite the perception that many people do not take climate change seriously enough to change something in their daily lives, the German think tank NewClimate Institute assures that there have indeed been many changes in attitude in the last decade.

For the authors of a recent study on social and technological progress in implementing the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, some trends give confidence that global warming can still be limited to 1.5ºC.

Climate awareness

Before the Paris Agreement, awareness of the dangers of global warming was not as widespread, the report says. Since then, the topic has become popular and is debated in all sectors of society. The media reports more on climate issues, although there is also increasingly fake news, the authors note.

One consequence of this change in consciousness is that there are more and more climate protests. Especially young people gathered in activist movements such as Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil and Letzte Generation are calling for quick action. These calls end up putting pressure on politicians to act.

And to this must be added the legal proceedings against States and companies, which are increasingly numerous. The authors of the lawsuits press for compliance with national climate and environmental protection laws and have won the case in numerous cases. In 2021, as a result of a climate lawsuit, Germany’s supreme court demanded the federal government to reduce emissions more quickly by 2030.

In parallel, scientific climate attribution research helps to understand the extent to which extreme weather events — and the damage caused by them — can be attributed to climate change.

Zero emissions target

Before the Paris Agreement, the main focus was on reducing emissions. A widespread consensus has now formed that “emissions in all countries must fall to zero,” according to analysis by the NewClimate Institute. The goal of a climate-neutral economy is the new norm in countries, regions and cities, including in the Global South — a major step forward.

This goal of zero emissions shows that there has been a “significant change”. And national climate goals are now much more ambitious and can help reduce the speed of global warming in the medium term.

However, these goals “are not yet supported by sufficient measures”, the authors emphasize. But overall, they see the world on a much better course than it was before the Paris Agreement.

Sustainable investments

Global warming is now a growing risk for companies and investors. Climate-friendly investments have also become more attractive from an economic point of view, and not just because companies feel more social pressure.

Many companies are publishing their own climate risk, partly on their own initiative, partly due to new laws. Of the 500 most important publicly traded companies in the United States, according to the rating agency Standards and Poor, more than 70% disclose their emissions.

“If more than a decade ago it was a niche, today sustainable investment is the norm in the financial world”, conclude the authors.

However, they note that oil and gas-based business models are still very profitable and dominate the market. Globally, the necessary change is happening very slowly and, in many places, is delayed by lobby groups.

Expansion of solar and wind energy

20 years ago, both wind and solar energy were much more expensive. Especially in the Global South they were often seen as an inaccessible and uncompetitive luxury.

That has completely changed, say the authors: “Renewable energy has become the new normal.” Ditching fossil fuels is no longer a question of if, but when. At the same time, energy generation from the sun, wind and biomass is increasingly decentralized and allows for more flexible models, including for homes.

Increasingly, renewable energies are the most affordable option: “Onshore wind turbines and newly built solar projects are today 40% cheaper than installations based on fossil fuels”, state the authors. Global investment in renewable energy is already five times greater than investment in fossil fuels.

Photovoltaics, in particular, grew much faster than expected across the world, according to the analysis. However, there are still obstacles in many places when it comes to expanding wind energy.

Electric cars and heating

Electricity plays an increasingly important role in transport and heating. And, unlike what happened before 2015, today the industry is also in the process of developing “models to avoid CO emissions_two“, as the authors positively note.

According to the study, heat pumps that use electrical energy are increasingly becoming the “key technology for decarbonization” of building heating systems. In Europe there was an increase of 38% in 2022.

And sales of electric cars have increased around the world much faster than anyone expected ten years ago. By 2023, 18% of all new cars sold will have an electric engine, the study authors calculate.

In some countries this is already the market standard. All major car manufacturers intend to adopt electric vehicles as standard in the coming years, and the European Union, Canada and Chile have already set dates for the end of combustion engines in new cars.

According to the authors, so far the increase in the number of electric cars has been seen mainly in rich countries and China. In these countries, more and more electric trucks and buses are being used. However, the expansion of battery charging stations is lagging behind in many places, and in many countries the high sales prices of electric cars are still an obstacle to their dissemination.

Finally, the authors emphasize that significantly greater efforts are needed across the world to implement the climate agreement. But in the face of enormous global challenges, it is possible to “draw strength from the many positive changes” that the world has already achieved.