Time: The Defining Year

Time: The Defining Year

By Justin Worland

2020 is a pivotal year for climate change. Since the beginning of the Industrial Age, the global temperature has risen 1.1%. Experts warn that if it crosses the 2% threshold, the gradual climate change we have been seeing will speed up, having disastrous consequences. But the pandemic has slowed emissions and the economy, and that gives us a chance. We could urge companies that are being bailed out to invest in greener methods, or we could create coal fueled power plants to stimulate the economy - thus sealing our fate. 

    President Trump isn’t helping. In April, when oil prices tanked, he called executives together and promised to save them, which he did. In the E.U., however, they have showed us a better take. A European Green Deal would include $800 billion dollars in spending to rebuild a green economy. The rest of the world, meanwhile, is watching and hoping that the next US president will undo Trump’s unprecedented action. By 2030, we need to cut emissions in half - or suffer the consequences.

    This crisis was created by another one. At the end of World War II and the Great Depression, the government desperately needed to stimulate the economy. It did so with fossil fuels. Highways were built, and people moved to cities, drove gas guzzling cars to work everyday, and on top of it all, the Marshall Plan to help Europe depended on oil. In 1945, FDR cut a deal with the Saudis to get oil in exchange for protection.

    The economy is expected to shrink 5% this year, and rebounding in a green way could help it. The International Energy Agency’s plan calls for $1 trillion in spending, about 0.1% of world GDP in greener energy. This would, in turn, create 10 million jobs and boost the global GDP by 1.1%, returning more money than was put in.

    The E.U., US, and China will most likely have the largest impacts on the path forward. The European Union is 3rd in world emissions, and $100 billion annually will help create renewable energy and electric trains. Coal mining countries will suffer losses, but they will be assisted through worker retraining and new jobs. China is trying to go two different directions. Its Politburo Committee has endorsed over a trillion dollars for electric car charging, high-speed rail, and 5G technology. On the other hand, it has also approved new coal mines and power plants, both in the mainland and in Africa. The US, by far, will probably be the most important in the decision. But as long as Trump is in power, change seems unlikely. He has passed legislation forcing airlines to keep all routes, even if planes are empty, and has reversed many climate protection laws. Joe Biden, the Democratic Presidential candidate, is touting a New Green Deal if he gets elected.

     But whatever happens, “The choice is ours. We just don’t have much time to decide.”