Road to cleaner, greener and a more equitable world!

“Net zero” is the current jargon as it is becoming very difficult to reduce all emissions to zero on the timescale needed. As the impacts of climate change hit harder, a new realism is dawning about the changed circumstances. Increasingly, we are realizing that climate change isn't just a future problem from which we must protect our children. It is a problem from which we must protect ourselves today.

The threats of climate change are the direct result of there being too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. So, it follows that we must stop emitting more and even remove some of it. This idea is central to the world's current plan to avoid calamity. There are many suggestions as to how to do this - from high-tech direct air capture devices that suck out carbon dioxide from the air to mass tree planting. Actions are being taken at the global and national level; governments worldwide are enforcing legislation and setting in the policy frameworks to tackle climate change, but we also don't have the time really at this point in terms of where we are at on climate change to wait for governments to lead.

A substantial cross-value partnership between all parts of society with businesses stepping up above and, in many cases, ahead of government policy leadership to set a precedent is the need of the hour. Initiation of multi-stakeholder efforts that promote action on climate change adaptation, from engaging with governments on policymaking to collaborating with industry players, community leaders, academia, development agencies, and others to promote action is the key. Engagement and participation with the local communities also are particularly valuable as adaptation solutions need to be hyper-local such as water conservation, heat-resistant infrastructure, and drought-resistant agricultures, supporting prosperity and security for billions of people as we build a climate-resilient world.

So, the question is, how are we going to adapt to the current realities of climate change, and who is going to pay for that?

A step towards Net Zero

Net zero in simple terms refer to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere. We reach net zero when the amount we add is no more than the amount taken away.

For net zero to be effective, it must be in for the long haul. What it means is that the removed greenhouse gas does not return into the atmosphere over time, for example through the destruction of forests or improper carbon storage.

How can we achieve this and why does it matter?

There are clear risks of getting net zero wrong – As transitioning to a net-zero world calls for nothing less than a complete transformation of how we produce, consume, and move about. Many countries have made net-zero commitments, and many companies have followed the suit. The problem is that unless every country and every company achieve net zero, the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will continue to increase.

The launch of Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda – the first ever all-inclusive global action plan introduced at the recently concluded COP27 is considered as a crucial part of the fight against climate change.

Policy talk: Together for Implementation

Climate change isn't a threat for tomorrow. It's an essential for today – solved only through a global integration of will and skill which was exhibited at the recent COP27. 112 world leaders gathered under the title “Together for Implementation” to discuss and deliberate how to further deliver on the global climate agenda and translate climate pledge into implementation. The topics included 'Innovative Finance', 'Investing in the Future of Energy: Green Hydrogen', 'Just Transition', 'Food & Water Security, and 'Climate Change & the Sustainability of Vulnerable Communities' – which sheds a light on the need to work together to harness bold new ways to accelerate the race to zero—and tackle climate change head-on.

Youth were also given greater prominence and their voices were heard through the first-of-its-kind youth-led Climate Forum. Several other exciting announcements, declarations, partnerships, and targets were also made at the COP27, but it remains to be seen how well they translate into real action on-ground.

Being an optimist, there's a belief that we have it in us to deliver. To address the climate change crisis on a systemic level, the global pledges and commitments bring huge opportunity to help 8 billion people transition to a more sustainable and secure way of life. In any case, we don't have the luxury of selection anymore given that the window of convenience to limit ourselves to a 1.5-degree pathway is getting restricted by the minute!

A promising start

It will be a monumental task to get India to net-zero emissions by 2070; and given the socio-economic fabric of the country – it will require a fine balance between people, profits, and the planet. The priorities reinforced at COP27 present distinctive opportunities for stakeholders especially companies to hatch and rattle legacy processes and systems and unravel solution for India's net zero.

The one hope is that we don't exacerbate the challenges that nature, food, land use, and ocean systems currently face through the continuous destruction and for COP27 to go down in history as the one that changed the course. The one that will be known for action and implementation on ground. The one that re-imagined a cleaner, greener and a more equitable world.

Authored by: Mahashweta Mukherjee