World Leaders Must Decide: Will You Be Remembered for Taking Action Against Climate Change?
As the world teeters on the brink of catastrophic climate change, it's time for leaders to step up and take responsibility. The once-dominant pillars of the old world order are crumbling, and with the US stepping away from taking action on the climate crisis, other nations must assume global environmental leadership.
The question is: will China, often touted as the global low-carbon powerhouse, step up to fill this void? Or will the European Union, Norway, and the UK continue to lead the charge in sustaining green industrial policies through thick and thin? The EU looks uncertain, under pressure from major sectors lobbying for weaker climate targets and far-right parties seeking to move away from net-zero goals.
The severity of recent storms in Jamaica has added fuel to the fire. Climate-vulnerable states, led by Barbados's Prime Minister Mia Mottley, are frustrated and angry. It's time for leaders to lead in a new way – not just by investing more public and private money to prevent devastating floods, fires, and droughts, but by focusing on mitigation and adaptation policies that save lives now.
The Paris Agreement committed the international community to limiting global warming to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels. Since then, progress has been slow, with renewables falling in price, yet we are still far from achieving this goal. The world is already around 1.5C warmer, and global emissions continue to rise.
Over the next few weeks, countries will announce their national climate targets for 2035, including the EU, India, and Saudi Arabia. But it's clear that a huge "emissions gap" between rich and poor countries will remain. The Paris Agreement included a ratchet mechanism – countries agreed to strengthen their commitments every five years – but the next stocktaking and reset is not until 2028.
This is why Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's two-day leaders' summit on November 6-7, ahead of Cop30 in Belém, will be critical. Other leaders should follow Keir Starmer's example and lay the groundwork for a more ambitious Belém declaration than the one currently on the table.
The key to success lies in three areas:
1. Accelerating the implementation of existing climate plans – innovations in net zero options are transforming this, with green technology costs falling.
2. Expanding carbon pricing and carbon markets to tackle emissions.
3. Committing to achieving $1.3 trillion in public and private finance for the global south by 2035.
But it's not just about numbers; it's also about the human cost of climate inaction – the loss of livelihoods, health risks, and the hardship faced by an estimated 40 million children who cannot enjoy education because of droughts, floods, or storms.
As leaders convene at Cop30 and the G20, they must remember that future generations will judge them. They'll ask whether or not we rose to the challenge of our times and gave people hope. It's time for world leaders to decide: will you take action against climate change, or will you be remembered as a leader who failed to act?
As the world teeters on the brink of catastrophic climate change, it's time for leaders to step up and take responsibility. The once-dominant pillars of the old world order are crumbling, and with the US stepping away from taking action on the climate crisis, other nations must assume global environmental leadership.
The question is: will China, often touted as the global low-carbon powerhouse, step up to fill this void? Or will the European Union, Norway, and the UK continue to lead the charge in sustaining green industrial policies through thick and thin? The EU looks uncertain, under pressure from major sectors lobbying for weaker climate targets and far-right parties seeking to move away from net-zero goals.
The severity of recent storms in Jamaica has added fuel to the fire. Climate-vulnerable states, led by Barbados's Prime Minister Mia Mottley, are frustrated and angry. It's time for leaders to lead in a new way – not just by investing more public and private money to prevent devastating floods, fires, and droughts, but by focusing on mitigation and adaptation policies that save lives now.
The Paris Agreement committed the international community to limiting global warming to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels. Since then, progress has been slow, with renewables falling in price, yet we are still far from achieving this goal. The world is already around 1.5C warmer, and global emissions continue to rise.
Over the next few weeks, countries will announce their national climate targets for 2035, including the EU, India, and Saudi Arabia. But it's clear that a huge "emissions gap" between rich and poor countries will remain. The Paris Agreement included a ratchet mechanism – countries agreed to strengthen their commitments every five years – but the next stocktaking and reset is not until 2028.
This is why Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's two-day leaders' summit on November 6-7, ahead of Cop30 in Belém, will be critical. Other leaders should follow Keir Starmer's example and lay the groundwork for a more ambitious Belém declaration than the one currently on the table.
The key to success lies in three areas:
1. Accelerating the implementation of existing climate plans – innovations in net zero options are transforming this, with green technology costs falling.
2. Expanding carbon pricing and carbon markets to tackle emissions.
3. Committing to achieving $1.3 trillion in public and private finance for the global south by 2035.
But it's not just about numbers; it's also about the human cost of climate inaction – the loss of livelihoods, health risks, and the hardship faced by an estimated 40 million children who cannot enjoy education because of droughts, floods, or storms.
As leaders convene at Cop30 and the G20, they must remember that future generations will judge them. They'll ask whether or not we rose to the challenge of our times and gave people hope. It's time for world leaders to decide: will you take action against climate change, or will you be remembered as a leader who failed to act?
... if one country doesn't step up, it's gonna affect the whole chain. Like, China is supposed to be this big deal for climate change, but they're not doing enough 
. Meanwhile, EU is all over the place with their goals and stuff 
. We need more transparency about what each country's really committed to 
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. We gotta make sure leaders are prioritizing human lives over profits 
. I'm also thinking, we need to rethink our whole system - like, what if instead of individual countries trying to save the planet, we have a global collective effort? 
It would be so much better than some countries just pointing fingers at others 
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. We need more leaders like him, who are willing to make tough decisions 
. It's all about the future generations, right? We can't just keep delaying our actions 
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). China and EU are still holding out hope, but India and others are gonna be expected to step up big time in 2035. I'm also wondering if there's any way we can actually make this whole $1.3 trillion thing happen? Like, how does that get funded?
. And let's be real, the EU ain't exactly perfect either - they got some major sectors lobbyin' for weaker climate targets, and that's just not cool 
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. We need more grassroots movements and community-led initiatives to drive real change.
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. And India and Saudi Arabia are still kinda holding out 
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. Because if we don't take action now, future generations are gonna be totally screwed 
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. It's not like they're getting left behind or anything 
(just kidding, it feels that way). Anyway, let's hope Brazil's summit in November brings some real changes 
. We can't afford to wait any longer for this 
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we need some major changes ASAP!!! china should def step up as a global low-carbon powerhouse and europe too 
they have the tech and resources to make it happen. but its not just about the big players, we need all countries to work together on mitigation and adaptation policies 
️, but will they or won't they? It's like looking at the Avengers and wondering if Iron Man is gonna show up for team Earth 
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... i think we need more action from our leaders not just talk about it 
. if we dont take action now, future gens are gonna be stuck with the consequences of our inaction 
. it's not just about economics or tech advancements, it's about human life and dignity 
. it's time to put aside party politics and lobby interests and focus on saving lives and the planet