The new US climate goals raise hopes that 2021 will be a decisive year

Suddenly it happens! Four years later with climate denying Donald Trump, the United States is once again engaged in global climate action. President Joe Biden has exactly the head start he promised during his election campaign.

Ahead of the current climate meeting Biden called by 40 world leaders, hopes were high. Many, both environmental movements and experts, wanted to see that the promised new climate goals would mean a 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030.

The fact that the target was a little more ambitious than that with a time interval of 52 percent is welcome in most places and can be taken as a strong indication that the United States is serious.

According to the experts You will target the United States Preferably around 53-67%, If climate goals are to be met. But the indication and significance of the fact that the world’s largest economy and second largest emitting country have reverted to the Paris Agreement and toughened its climate targets cannot be overestimated. Other countries are under pressure to follow suit. On Thursday, Japan and Canada also came up with more precise targets by 2030.

The fact that many of the major emitters, including the European Union and the United Kingdom, have soon reached emissions-reduction targets within a decade rather than promising net-zero targets in the future.

The year 2021 is critical – this year is “now or never” to slow down the climate crisis. Nearly three years ago, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated in its Special Report that global emissions must be cut in half by 2030 if climate goals are to be met.

The heating does not take a breatherJust a few days ago, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) stated that 2020 was one of the three warmest years measured globally and that the global average temperature was 1.2 degrees higher than in the pre-industrial periods.

If there aren’t really big changes this year, it will be very difficult to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. The US’s return to climate action means that there is hope this year there will be a breakthrough, the “tipping point” for needed climate action.

Thursday’s announcement is a good starting point for the COP26 UN climate meeting in Glasgow in November. Until then, all countries must introduce stricter climate plans. To date, about 75 countries, including the European Union, have submitted new plans – they are not far enough to achieve the goals.

But many major light emitting countries, Which together account for 75 percent of emissions, has yet to come up with its plans. The clearer goals that have now been achieved improve conditions – maybe not enough, but the situation is less bad.

The largest emitter in the world, China, did not make any new promises at the Climate Summit, but there was still time to make new plans before COP26.

Setting climate targets is one thing, and now it is urgent to meet targets and drastically reduce emissions – preferably the day before yesterday.

But one thing is clear – with Joe Biden at the helm of the United States, there is still hope for achieving the climate goals. If Trump had served another term, the world would definitely have welcomed the 1.5 point goal.