Representational image (Photo | AP)
The figure 1.5°C is at the heart of any discussion on climate change. It is the widely accepted cap for global temperature rise as compared to pre-industrial times, if we are to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change. But the world is at least 1.1°C warmer, and is expected to hit 1.5°C within decades. The Paris climate deal in 2015 shifted the goalpost to keep global temperatures well below 2°C, but even that is a tough ask. So when reports suggested that the meeting of the G20, which comprises leaders of the world’s biggest economies, stayed committed to the 1.5°C threshold, there was a fair bit of scepticism.
More so because their final communique failed to specify a firm deadline on carbon neutrality, saying it would be achieved by or around mid-century. Even mid-century was not defined as 2050. Coal is a humungous source of greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, there is no consensus on its future. The communique had no commitment on phasing out domestic consumption of coal to run power plants, apparently due to pressure from countries like China, India and Indonesia. As India has consistently maintained, developed nations have already enjoyed the fruits of energy. They must now provide adequate finance and technology to help developing countries move towards net zero.
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav recently said that the country would take its call on carbon neutrality at an appropriate time. But that does not mean we can postpone it endlessly. For, climate change is real. Even during Covid last year, when most parts of the world had come to a grinding halt due to lockdowns, greenhouse gases kept growing. A report last week by the World Meteorological Organisation revealed that GHGs reached a record high and worldwide containment measures had no impact. Its CO2 concentration estimate was 413.2 ppm in 2020, which was 149% the pre-industrial levels in the 1750s. Climate scientists have predicted that GHG emissions will be up by 16% by the turn of the current decade.
It might already be too late to curb global warming. The world will be a better place in the future only if global leaders walk the talk on climate justice and equity.
