Community Forum: Fast Track to Carbon Zero

How do society speed up the transition to zero? The knowledge and technology to cut emissions are easy. The missing piece is political will. The next step is to lead politicians to prioritize climate change in all their decisions, and to do it immediately, at a speed commensurate with the scope of the crisis.

Carbon Zero is a commitment to reduce emissions low enough that any remaining emissions can be absorbed by nature. The path to carbon zero provides many additional benefits, including jobs, justice, better economy, improved health, more dynamic livable cities, and other quality-of-life improvements. In addition, making these changes now can save the untold trillions of dollars that will be the cost of inaction.

It has become clear that slow, incremental climate actions are not enough. Climate change is already upon us, with increasing risks to health, economy, environment, and future. With the current 1-degree Celsius of warming, more intense threats from wildfires, drought, flooding, heat waves, melting glaciers, sea level rise, and species extinctions have already been seen.

It is time for aggressive policies and goals that are commensurate with this extreme threat to the future.