‘The climate crisis is here’

The deadly extreme weather devastating communities, infrastructure, businesses and ecosystems across the globe has sparked renewed demands from climate activists for a rapid transition to renewable energy for all.

The climate crisis is here: headlines from across Europe, North America, Asia, the Pacific and Africa paint a disturbing picture that demonstrates the urgent need for a collective, urgent implementation of climate solutions.

A call for ‘braver politics’

Despite climate impacts demonstrating the clear need for rapid change, in recent weeks the EU fell short of delivering an adequate renewables target while bilateral climate talks between China and the USA failed to bridge their divide with ‘substantial differences’ remaining.

Climate activists are demanding braver politics and stronger policies to deliver a transition to energy and economic systems that ensures that polluters pay their fair share to deliver distributed renewable energies that allow communities to thrive. 

‘This is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to extreme and unpredictable weather events, which are happening because of the climate crisis. The connection is clearer than ever between fossil fuel companies, their obscene profits, government inaction, and the drastic impact being felt by millions.

‘These events are no longer random occurrences: this is the new normal that we can expect without decisive action to implement the solutions we have on hand. We need to future-proof our world, call on our leaders to hold polluting industries accountable, and implement policies that safeguard the lives and livelihoods of everyday people.’

MAY BOEVE
Executive director at 350.org

A global renewable energy target

In order to start reducing the human costs of the climate crisis that hundreds of millions of people are experiencing (and to abide by the Paris Agreement), governments must ensure 1.5TW of renewable energy installations annually from 2030 onwards.

Activists are calling for a global renewable energy target to be formally adopted in December at this year’s climate negotiations hosted by UAE (COP28).

But more critically, they are demanding that governments regularly tax the soaring profits that oil corporations are making for their shareholders from burning fossil fuels.

The demand is for this finance to be used to rapidly accelerate the transition to renewable energy that benefits all, especially those most vulnerable to impacts and those that have least responsibility for global heating.

‘According to new research released by Oxford University, a number of countries in Central and West Africa will face the highest surge in heat exposure if the 1.5-degree Celsius limit of global heating is surpassed.

‘This, coupled with the extreme impacts such as prolonged drought, severe flooding, and cyclones witnessed across the continent in recent times, demonstrate the continent’s extreme vulnerability to the climate crisis.

‘The solutions to this crisis and other intertwined energy, health and development challenges the continent is facing lie in the deployment of decentralised, affordable and people-centered renewable energy systems instead of counting on outmoded dirty fossil fuels.

‘Africa must leverage the continent’s wealth of renewable energy potential to foster a pathway to a liveable future built on safe and sustainable energy systems.’

LANDRY NINTERETSE
Africa Regional Director at 350.org