2021 Is The Year We Turn A Corner On Climate Action

2021 Is The Year We Turn A Corner On Climate Action

The UN's secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, opened the last climate talks in 2019 by saying the world was “at a critical juncture in our collective efforts to limit dangerous global heating.” Last year, the now postponed COP26 summit was billed as humanity's “last chance” to tackle the crisis.

The truth in these statements is stark. The more we delay action, the more rising emissions make it much harder to limit temperatures to safe levels. It's simple maths.

We haven't passed the point of no return yet. Even if we had, the shift to a zero-carbon economy would still be economically inevitable. The next 12 months will determine what that transition looks like, whether we embrace change, securing the move to clean energy and decisively turn a corner in the fight against climate change; or, take a meandering route that could be more expensive both economically and environmentally in the long run.

As Europe seeks to recover from coronavirus, the promises made on a green recovery need to be borne out with new policies and major zero-carbon investments. The latest European Union coronavirus recovery package, combined with its new long-term budget, amounts to €1.8 trillion, 30% of which has been ringfenced to fight climate