The World May Agree On A Carbon Neutrality Timeline This November

     The Paris Agreement was more complex than most people realized at the time or realize today. The initial commitment included reducing carbon emissions by roughly a quarter, but it also included nations updating their carbon reduction goals and checking progress every five years in alternating conferences. Since the agreement went into effect in 2016, the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland, will see nations increase their pledge.

     Originally ratified on April 22nd, 2016, the Paris Agreement hit a rough patch when President Trump announced U.S. withdrawal in 2017 (completed in October 2020), and the loss of such a visible leader on most global issues prevented any real collaborative progress on climate change. However, since then, we have seen the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, and numerous other nations commit to going carbon neutral by 2050 while China pledged to do so by 2060. Greta Thunberg first came to prominence in late 2018 and in 2019, and her efforts sparked a global movement that forced world leaders to commit to carbon neutrality for the first time. The pandemic and recent weather disasters, meanwhile, remind people every day exactly what is at stake.

     Setting the United States on a course to be carbon neutral by 2050 was one of President Biden's biggest campaign promises. He has already taken numerous actions on climate change, including announcing a goal of cutting emissions in half by 2030. If this happens, the U.S. is on track to keep this 2050 pledge. Democrats currently control the Senate, which gives approval to such measures, and, if we are to see a realistic framework for the United States to be carbon neutral by 2050, it will be this November.

     China is the largest carbon emitter, but it is also the world's largest clean energy manufacturer; John Kerry is seeking common ground on climate with China, and we need to see China lay out a plan to shutter its coal plants and pledge to be carbon neutral by 2050, not 2060. There are plenty of small nations in Europe, Oceania, Latin America, and Asia that are ready to do their part to fight climate change. However, at the end of the day, half of the responsibility lies with the EU, the United States, and China. It's now or never on climate change.