2021 Could Be A Turning Point For Climate Change Resistance

Photo illustration (Patrick Perkins / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The narrative of climate change has exacerbated natural disasters around the world, getting stronger in the middle of last year. But that doesn't mean the bad effects of climate change can't be prevented. There are many reasons why 2021 could be the most important year against climate change.

From the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the many companies in the world that are turning to more environmentally responsible businesses, it can be a solution. 2020 may be the toughest year.

Mainly from the impact of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with the presence of the vaccination agenda in countries in the world, the matter of COVID-19 will soon be overlooked. Likewise with the problem of climate change, which in 2021 is an optimistic momentum to fight climate change.

The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) Antonio Gutteres even talked that 2021 would be the momentum for the success or failure of efforts to fight climate change. Climate change optimism, said Guterres, could take place in many ways. Some of them have been summarized by the BBC.

World climate conference 2021

It is noted that world leaders will gather in the agenda of the Climate Change Summit (Summit) in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021. The meeting will continue the agenda of the previous important meeting held in Paris, France in 2015.

This is because, at the Paris meeting, almost all the countries present were united to work together against climate change. However, the commitments made to reduce carbon emissions fall short of the target.

As a result, the meeting in Glasgow was as bright as hope. In this big forum, the leaders of countries in the world will sit down together again. They will discuss the right ingredients to fight climate change.

Commitment to reduce carbon emissions

Concerning the commitment to reduce carbon emissions, many countries in the world have done it. Most recently, efforts to reduce carbon emerged from the President of China, Xi Jinping.

At the UN General Assembly in September last year, Xi Jinping announced that China was committed to zero carbon by 2060. Those efforts that left the most polluting country in the world should be appreciated.

That's because China is responsible for 28 percent of world emissions. Following China, there is the name of the UK which has made a zero percent emission commitment, followed by the European Union which has made a similar commitment.

If the steps of China, Britain, and the European Union start to be followed by other countries, then the fight against climate change will be even more steadfast.

The emergence of renewable energy

The most likely reason for the presence of renewable energy is that many countries in the world are starting to plan to achieve zero percent carbon emission commitments. This desire is also supported by the International Energy Agency, which states that solar power schemes can offer the cheapest source of electricity in history.

That's just from solar power. When other countries start to look and invest in other energies such as wind power, surely in the coming years renewable energy will be relatively cheap.

In addition, investment in renewable energy is forecast to replace many coal and gas power plants.

COVID-19 changes everything

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the world's trial since last year. The bad effects of the pandemic have come and gone.

Deaths every day, millions of people lose their jobs, and countries are getting caught in the brink of recession. However, there is some improvement from the pandemic.

Goodness is in the form of opportunities to rebuild the country better. As evidence, the European Union and Joe Biden's new government, known to be more sensitive to the pandemic, have pledged trillions of dollars in green investment.

This investment will drive the economy and apply the environment responsibly.

"Green" business

Thanks to the presence of renewable energy, many business people have started to change their attitude in doing business by caring more about the environment. Rather than investing their money in building outdated coal-fired power plants.

They then try to get into new businesses such as investing in renewable energy. The goal is to keep businesses and investors more concerned about the environment.

In fact, now 70 world central banks have worked together to make it happen. They then try to build these requirements into the world's financial architecture. Because of its importance, this agenda will become the main focus of the Glasgow 2021 conference.