The 6 revolutions needed to meet 2020 turning point
We Mean Business CoalitionMission 2020, (M2020) a global non-profit headed by Christiana Figueres, has laid out the six revolutions needed to reverse the upward curve of greenhouse gas emissions and ensure their steady decline by the close of this decade and beyond.
Bending the curve of emissions any later will all but eliminate our chance to stay within 1.5°C and move the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals beyond our reach. Given the stakes, failure is simply not an option, M2020 argues.
There is growing evidence that a 2020 climate turning point is achievable, according to M2020: Global CO2 emissions have already plateaued, and are expected to remain flat over the coming years thanks, in no small part, to China’s economic transformation, as well as the exponential growth in renewables worldwide.
“There are many signs that an irreversible direction of travel has been set: investment shifts, technology breakthroughs and cost reductions, a deepening understanding of eco-system services, resilient business and government leadership, as well as a staggering upsurge of citizen activism – all indicate that change is inevitable,” according to M2020.
However, when it comes to climate, timing is everything and we need to step-up the pace of change, accelerating a rapid drawdown in global emissions by 2020. Because of this, M2020’s mission now is to drive six revolutions, so that by 2020:
1. Renewables outcompete fossil fuels as new electricity sources worldwide
2. Zero-emissions transport is the preferred form of all new mobility in the world’s major cities and transport routes
3. Large-scale deforestation is replaced with large-scale land restoration, and agriculture shifts to earth-friendly practices
4. Heavy industry – including iron & steel, cement, chemicals and oil & gas – commits to being Paris compliant
5. Cities and states are implementing policies and regulations to fully decarbonize buildings and infrastructure by 2050
6. Investment in climate action is beyond USD $1 trillion per year and all financial institutions have a disclosed transition strateg