We are busy with our day to day life, and our own struggle. Who has the time to think about the environment? But we need to remember, we can’t move away from this problem for our future generation.
Here are some facts:
The EU was a comparatively early adopter of climate targets. In 2009, it set a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020; its Paris target increased that to a 40 percent reduction by 2030. In May 2019, the EU formally adopted into law a series of measures that included a binding target for 32 percent of electricity production to come from renewables by 2030. To achieve that figure across the EU, different countries within the bloc have adopted different national targets: For example, for Malta, the goal is 10 percent renewables, while for Sweden it is 49 percent.
Norway’s emissions are projected to decrease by only 7 percent by 2030, and its implemented policies are consistent with warming between 3 and 4 degrees. Its parliament agreed in June to (mostly) disinvest its $1 trillion Sovereign Wealth Fund from oil, gas, and coal, dumping $13 billion in stocks related to fossil fuels (though sparing those belonging to ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell) and diverting resources to renewable energy projects. Norway also leads the world in its embrace of electric cars; almost 60 percent of new cars sold in the country in March were electric. Forest cover is increasing. And electricity production is almost entirely from renewables: 96 percent from hydropower and 2 percent from wind farms.
China’s CO2 emissions—already the largest in the world—grew an estimated 2.3 percent increase in 2018; in fact, with current policies, China’s greenhouse gas emissions are projected to rise until at least 2030. The Chinese government has heavily subsidized the manufacture of electric cars and has sought to reduce the number of gasoline-powered cars on the road; in 2018, Chinese consumers bought 1.1 million electric vehicles—more than the rest of the world combined. China is also the largest manufacturer of solar technology in the world.
It is increasingly recognized that small communities are likely to be the most severely affected by climate change impacts and yet are least equipped to cope and adapt. UNDP took some pilot project that is designed to implement community-based projects that seek to enhance the resiliency of communities, and/or the ecosystems on which they rely, to climate change impacts.
The Bangladesh CBA portfolio includes the following five (5) projects:
- Community-Based Wetland Project
- Coping with Climate Risks by Empowering Women in Coastal Areas
- Piloting Climate-Resilient Development Initiatives
- Strengthening Community Resilience in the Southwestern Coastal Area
- Promoting Diversified Agro-Based Activities in the Jamalpur District
If we don’t act fast, and raise our voice now; how are we going to answer our future generation?
