Summary reader response #4

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 would reach carbon neutrality before 2060. He also mentioned that Singapore intends to invest in environment-centric projects while Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong encourages countries to work together. Also, Sharma emphasizes that a significant change in ambition is necessary to tackle climate change. Improvements must be encouraged 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 concur that individual efforts are as important as the world's partnership efforts. While world leaders set goals, individuals, including the affluent, should be educated on the current effects of climate change and their role in it, eventually taking responsibility.

 

Individual efforts in reducing the existing effects of climate change are significant because "our actions do influence the people around us" (Rowlatt, 2019). An example would be Greta Thunberg, who is a teenage climate activist. Rowlatt showcased one movement that Greta exemplified: to 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 medium demonstrates that individuals do possess the capacity to reduce the effects of climate change. Even if our efforts might not be as large scale, I am convinced that there is still hope to reduce the effects of climate change. 

 

With that said, the affluent have a greater individual responsibility, given that they exert an enormous impact on the environment in terms of carbon emissions. According to Bhalla and Barclay (2020), the wealthiest 10% of the world's population was responsible for 52% of cumulative carbon emissions and ate up 31% of the world's carbon budget from 1990 to 2015. Their high purchasing power allows them to consume more, directly proportional to the carbon emissions emitted. Therefore, affluent individuals should acknowledge the significant role they play in exacerbating climate effects and act accordingly.

The education platform has a high possibility of shifting individuals' mindsets to act on climate change. According to Teng (2015), affluent individuals tend to receive higher education. Education is a powerful platform to raise awareness because it educates individuals to be more aware of the current effects of climate change. An educator that has raised awareness of global warming would be Bill Gates. He wrote a book titled "How to Avoid Climate Disaster” and presented his learnings about climate change with recommendations. With the affluent’s high purchasing power, they can easily access these books.

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." This statement shows that not all individuals are aware of the existing effects of climate change. I believe in educating every individual 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 agree with Sharma that everyone needs to work together to combat climate change's existing effects.

 

References:

Bhalla, J., & Barclay, E. (2020, September 24). How affluent people can end their mindless overconsumption. https://www.vox.com/21450911/climate-change-coronavirus-greta-thunberg-flying-degrowth.

Rowlatt, J. (2019, September 19). Climate change action: We can't all BE Greta, but your choices have a ripple effect. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-49756280.

Sharma, A. (2020, December 20). Five Years since Paris Agreement, World Must Get Ambitious on Climate Action. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/uncop26-climate-change-commitment-net-zero-clean-energy-uk-13798700

Tan, A. (2018, January 17). Climate Change: Many Think They Can’t Make a Difference.

Teng, A. (2015, July 4). Better-educated Parents with Higher Incomes Spend More. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/better-educated-parents-with-higher-incomes-spend-more