Sustainable Goal of the Month | December 2020: Climate Action

A Greener, Cleaner, Brighter Future

Climate change is affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives. Weather patterns are changing, sea levels are rising, and weather events are becoming more extreme.

Although greenhouse gas emissions are projected to drop about 6 per cent in 2020 due to travel bans and economic slowdowns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, this improvement is only temporary. Climate change is not on pause. Once the global economy begins to recover from the pandemic, emissions are expected to return to higher levels.

As the world looks to recover and rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, there is growing global recognition that the catalyst for transformational change is investment in a green and sustainable global economy that produces jobs, reduces emissions, and builds resilience to climate impacts.

Today, progress is being made in many places, but, overall, action to rescue the planet and to save live and livelihoods is not yet advancing at the speed or scale required. Accelerating sustainable solutions are needed to meet the challenge of climate change. There is a need for all sectors of society to mobilize for action on three levels: global action: the Paris Agreement; locals action: green policies and investment from our government and private institutions that reduce CO2 and pollutants emission and people action: that reduces the carbon footprint in their daily lives. We can do this by simply not wasting energy:

• Turn off your lights and use energy-efficient lightbulbs
• Turn down the thermostat in winter and turn up during the summer
• Unplug unused electronics and appliances
• Install solar panels
• Drive a hybrid or electric vehicle.

Electricity drives our lifestyles. Although some 790 million people in the world still lack access to electricity, for the rest, everything from a computer to a television to refrigerator needs energy. We don’t have to give up our appliances — but we can use them in a way that doesn’t waste energy.

Learn more:

What uses the most energy in your home?
5 Steps to make your home more energy-efficient

 Shifting to a green economy could yield a direct economic gain of at least US$26 trillion through to 2030 compared to business-as-usual. With renewable energy, we can generate three times more jobs than compared to fossil fuels – that could mean about 9 million jobs annually in the next three years.

Read a green success story:  Solar empowerment in Yemen

Here is everything you need to know about the Paris Agreement.