Part of the problem or part of the solution
COP25, the international conference about climate change organized by the United Nations, is currently being held in Madrid with the assistance of 197 countries. After the signing of the Paris agreement at COP21 four years ago, this event will involve an update of the action plan designed then: to maintain the temperature increase below 1.5 degrees, to achieve the neutral carbon footprint by 2050, greater transparency and ambition of countries in terms of the commitments they make about climate change, and to favour climate finance with a sort of Green Climate Fund among others.
Without the intention of seeming catastrophic but rather of explaining the situation as science shows us, new studies point to the increase of greenhouse gases as an irreversible problem. Since the industrial revolution the temperature has increased by one degree anomalously. Despite one degree does not seem a big problem, there are ecosystems with a high environmental value such as corals where a small change can make them disappear completely. We can also face sea level increases due to thaw -that is threatening the low coastal areas, where actually the 10% of the world population lives-, the multiplication of extreme phenomena linked to ocean warming, the alteration of agriculture, and other consequences such as the migration and disappearance of species.
Despite these agreements signed in the COP conferences, and that we had scientific evidence of these facts for decades, we keep reaching a new historical ceiling at the level of emissions every year. Countries such as the USA, Brazil, Hungary and Poland are falling back on the commitments they made, but the others are not doing great either. In Spain, promising emission reduction plans such as Madrid Central are in risk of being pushed back. Our city, Barcelona, is about to launch a low emission zone by 2020, but after years of breaching the air pollution limits set by the European Union.
Politicians and companies have to live up to the situation and reach ambitious agreements, but it is not time to continue with the discussions but to act. As part of the Paris Agreement, countries will have to start reporting periodically on their emissions from 2020, and companies and citizens will have an essential role in achieving these goals.
But let’s be positive, despite the opinion of some who still do not see the opportunity that appears when doing things better, a business can be successful and competitive while taking care of the environment and the society. Applying circular economy and eco-design criteria in the design of products and services for example, new business models and market niches arise, and we can change this negative path that we are following.
As countries begin to systematically report on emissions in relation to the established goals, we will be approaching another milestone in the transition to a carbon-free economy. This will favour those whose products and services work to mitigate climate change, so we better move our companies in that direction before it’s not too late, and we better also help these businesses to succeed in the market with the right consumption decisions.