In the article, “Five years since the Paris Agreement, the world must get ambitious on climate action”, Sharma (2020) addressed the world’s efforts to reduce the existing effects on climate change at the global Climate Ambition Summit. As of the fifth year of the Paris Agreement, Sharma noted that a total of 75 leaders are committed to including net-zero energy, nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and adaptations and resilience in their plans. Amongst the submitted revised plans for climate action, he highlighted that President Xi Jing Ping announced that China will reach carbon neutrality before 2060. He also mentioned that Singapore intends to invest in environment-centric projects whilst Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong encourages countries to work together. In addition, Sharma emphasizes that a significant change in ambition is necessary to tackle climate change. Thus, improvements must take place by the world leaders: increased international resolve and partnership. Sharma (2020) concluded that the progress on the COVID-19 vaccines had proven that nothing is impossible if everyone works together to combat climate change. I agree that individual efforts are as important as the world’s partnership efforts because the awareness of every individual matters to combat climate change.
Individual efforts in reducing the existing effects of
climate change are important because "our actions do influence the people
around us" (Rowlatt, 2019). An example would be Greta Thunberg, who is a
teenage climate activist. One movement Greta exemplified was opting to be
whisked across the Atlantic on a racing yacht instead of taking the plane to
her climate change meetings in New York. As a teenager, her actions have
captured the world’s attention. This clearly demonstrates that individuals do
possess the capacity to make an impact on reducing the effects of climate
change. Even if our efforts might not be as large scale, I am still
convinced that there is still hope to be part of the solution in reducing
the effects of climate change.
With that said, the affluent have a greater individual
responsibility, given that they exert a larger impact on the environment, in
terms of carbon emissions. According to Bhalla and Barclay (2020),
the richest 10% of the world’s population were responsible for 52% of
cumulative carbon emissions and ate up 31% of the world’s carbon budget from
1990 to 2015. The high purchasing power entails them to consume more which
is directly proportional to the carbon emissions emitted. Therefore,
affluent individuals should acknowledge the significant role they play in
exacerbating the effects of climate and act upon it.
The education platform has a high possibility of
shifting individuals' mindsets to act on climate change. Education is a
powerful platform to raise awareness of global warming because it educates
individuals to be more aware of the current effects of climate
change. Furthermore, Sharma (2020) mentioned that climate change is not an
issue that the government can solve alone but it takes every individual to act
on it. Tan (2018) stated in a survey done in 2016, that only “9 out of 10 were
concerned about the effects of climate change on future generations.” Through
this statement, it is evident that not all individuals are aware of the existing
effects of climate change. Hence, I believe in educating individuals from a
young age to cultivate a like-minded mindset towards reaching climate goals.
Overall, though some may feel that individual efforts
do not matter because they are merely one out of the seven billion people, I
conclude that every individual has a huge role to play in reaching the Paris
agreement goals. Therefore, I agree with Sharma that everyone needs
to work together to combat the existing effects of climate change.
References:
Alok, S. (2020, 20
December). Commentary: Five years since Paris Agreement, world
must get ambitious on climate action. Channel News Asia. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/uncop26-climate-change-commitment-net-zero-clean-energy-uk-13798700
Justin, R. (2019, 19 September). Climate change action: We can’t all be Greta, but your choices have a ripple effect. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49756280
Audrey, T.(2018, 27 January). Climate change: Many think they can’t make a difference. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/climate-change-many-think-they-cant-make-a-difference
Jag, B and Eliza B. (2020, 20 November). How affluent people can end their mindless overconsumption. Vox. Climate change is accelerating because of rich consumers’ energy use. Here are some solutions. - Vox
