Getting back on track to net zero

陈小将

Just this year we've seen the increasingly devastating effects of climate change — human tragedy and economic upheaval with typhoons in Bangladesh, unprecedented floods in Pakistan, heat waves in Europe, wildfires in North America, dry rivers in China, and droughts in Africa.
These will only get worse if we fail to act.
If global warming continues, scientists predict there will be even more devastating disasters and long-term disruption to weather patterns that would destroy lives and livelihoods, and upend societies. Mass migration could follow. And the failure to get emissions on the right trajectory by 2030 may lock global warming above 2 degrees Celsius and risk catastrophic tipping points — where climate change becomes self-perpetuating.
If we act now, not only can we avoid the worst, but we can also choose a better future. Done right, the green transformation will deliver a cleaner planet, with less pollution, more resilient economies, and healthier people.
Getting there requires action on three fronts: steadfast policies to reach net zero by 2050, strong measures to adapt to the global warming that's already locked in, and staunch financial support to help vulnerable countries pay for these efforts.