Climate Pledges Fall Short: Urgent Action Needed Now

Governments worldwide recognize climate change as a threat. As such, the Paris Agreement was signed to create an international initiative to halt global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by having members make climate pledges.

Today, the Paris Agreement is signed by more than 190 countries with 184 of those countries submitting their climate pledges to lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Yet, the vast majority of those pledges are not being met.

What’s even worse is how some of those countries are going in the opposite direction with GHG emissions. In some cases, members have not even pledged to begin with. As such, the world is not on track to meet the goal of the Paris Agreement.

According to some reports, we have already begun seeing temperatures exceed 1.5°C, or will within the next 5 years.

What Is A Climate Pledge?

Simply put, it is a commitment by the government to curb emissions by a specific date. In most cases, these pledges lack specifics on how they will achieve the goals set out, and most importantly, they cannot be enforced.

As such, there is no penalty for members who submit climate pledges that are not met or actively get worse.

For example, China, the world’s largest emitter, had planned to lower emissions by 60-65% by 2030. Currently, emissions have risen by 80% from 2005 through 2018, which is likely to continue as the economy of China grows.

With this said, some members submit plans with every detail planned out in them and achieve the goals. One example of this would be the European Union. As a collective, the 28 Member States pledges to lower emissions by 40% by 2030.

Currently, the European Union is not only on track but will exceed its pledge and reduce emissions by 58%.

Unfortunately, there are still members like Russia that have not even submitted a pledge.

How Do Countries Plan to Reduce Emissions?

While there are a variety of ways for countries to reduce emissions, nearly every pledge focuses on two specific areas. These include electricity generation and the electrification of their existing car fleets.

If you look at virtually any developed country, electricity generation and transportation are the biggest emitters.

For reference, in the United States, electricity generation accounts for 25% of all emissions, while transportation accounts for 29%. That’s 54% of the entire country, thus it makes complete sense for these two areas to be the major focus.

On top of this, we already have the solution for both. Electricity can be generated cleanly by switching to renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydro. Meanwhile, we already have electric vehicles to replace traditional combustion engines that use gas.

That said, even if we identify the problem and have the solution, implementing it is a completely different story.

The truth is that switching how a nation generates electricity and replacing all vehicles with EVs is not cheap. Most nations simply do not have the funds to do so, and as economies continue to grow, they need to continuously increase the amount of power they generate.

Thus, the finish line is constantly getting farther away for all developing nations.

Companies Also Make Climate Pledges

While the Paris Agreement focuses on governments, many corporations fully support the measures of the agreement. As such, nearly every major corporation has made its climate pledge to reduce emissions.

However, similarly to governments, many companies have made pledges that they are not keeping. And similarly to the governments, there is no real enforcement of repercussions if they fail. Thus, many companies make a net zero pledge without meaning it.

In some cases like Amazon, Microsoft, Walmart, and more, the scope of the company keeps increasing, which results in their emission targets being missed every time, or even increasing.

While these companies are making efforts, others are just making pledges without meaning them. This is known as business greenwashing. Essentially, the business lies about going green to attract customers who place a value on such.

Why Are Climate Pledges Not Kept?

The simple reason is that countries are realistically under no obligation to keep the pledge they made. If a country fails to keep a pledge, it is not penalized for failing. As such, countries are free to make any pledge without any fear of repercussion.

And the truth is that in many cases, it is better for the countries to fail these pledges.

That may not make sense, so let me explain. Underdeveloped nations will often receive funds to help them achieve climate goals. If they achieved those goals, they would no longer receive the funds.

Naturally, some nations make a genuine effort but purposely propose goals that are not achievable to receive funding for as long as possible. However, this is just for the underdeveloped countries that barely contribute to climate change.

The real issue is with developed nations. If you look at a nation like the United States, the amount of power it needs to generate to support a growing industry and population is enormous. In 2022, the energy demand grew by 3.2% from the previous year.

This is for several reasons. Developed nations rely more heavily on technology that is constantly evolving. Let’s take AI, for example. AI has been the biggest talking point for most businesses recently, but the dark reality of it is that the technology will skyrocket energy consumption.

To put this into perspective, the average ChatGPT search uses the same amount of energy as performing 10 Google searches.

Naturally, this will continue to increase the electricity demand in the United States for years to come. And that’s just a single source. We also talked about the electrification of the car fleet being a solution, but it only contributes to this growing demand.

Make Your Own Climate Pledges

While governments and companies continue to fail the planet, we can still ensure that we do our part by making our climate pledges. Here are ten simple ways you can reduce your carbon footprint.

1. Recycle

Recycling is one of the simplest ways you can lower your carbon footprint. Search for your local recycling plant and identify what materials can and can’t be recycled. In some cases, you need to separate materials from one another.

For example, if you order pre-made meals, sometimes you need to separate the insulator material from the cardboard for the recycling center to accept it. If you don’t, they will just discard the item, even if most of the material is recyclable.

Another example is if you order out a lot. You will receive plastic containers for your food. These are recyclable, but you should take the time to rinse them. Depending on the contents, they can be seen as contaminated and turned away.

2. Unplug Your Appliances When Not In Use

The typical household contains a variety of appliances that make our lives easier and more comfortable. However, every single one of them uses electricity to operate, thus they are contributing to your carbon footprint.

We have been conditioned to leave appliances on. For example, imagine a microwave. You might use it once or twice a day, but it is plugged in 24/7 in most instances. Even if it is not in use, it is still consuming power.

The simple solution is to unplug your appliances when they are not being used. While this can sometimes mean needing to set them up again, not only will this reduce your carbon footprint, but it will save you money on the electricity bill.

3. Reduce Your Screen Time

The average citizen of the United States gets just over 7 hours of screen time a day. This can be from sitting in front of a computer at work to watching Netflix after work. The devices we use to consume content are a big source of emissions.

For example, whenever you visit a site online, your device is connecting to the servers that house that website. Unless the website is using a green web hosting company, that visit is contributing to your carbon footprint.

Reduce your screen time by spending more time outside where your impact is minimal. Or, take up other hobbies like reading books, completing jigsaw puzzles, and so on. Not only is it better for the environment, it’s better for your mental health.

4. Dry Your Clothes Outside

While each household has a variety of appliances, they do not all use the same amount of energy. Clothes dryers are the biggest energy hogs in most households because it takes a lot of energy to produce heat, but there is a solution.

If you have the ability, drying clothes outside is a great way to reduce your energy usage and save a lot of money. Since 80% of American households have a clothes dryer, that could save the equivalent of seven nuclear power plants worth of energy.

And let’s be honest, clothes just smell better when they have been dried outside. This is, once again, another solution that can help save you a lot of money from your energy bill. Even if you can’t do it all of the time due to the weather, it is a great option.

5. Purchase Sustainable Products

When shopping, you should be on the lookout for sustainable products. These products can be identified by looking for specific labels. For example, in the case of appliances, you should be looking for Energy Star to ensure it uses the least amount of energy possible.

If you are shopping for fruits and vegetables, look for the USDA Organic label. Each country has its own labels, so be sure to refer to your government for a full list. You should also be on the lookout for greenwashing packaging.

Many companies understand consumers are willing to pay extra for sustainable products. As such, they use packaging and vague language that makes the product look and sound like it is sustainable. Only trust verified labels.

6. Shop Locally

It is worth pointing out that in many cases, even if a product is grown using the most sustainable practices, during the transportation process, it can accumulate a huge carbon footprint. As such, you should also try to shop locally.

Visiting farmer markets that allow you to buy directly from a farm is going to be a better purchase than buying organic veggies from another country. And this applies to virtually all goods like clothing, furniture, and so on.

If it is made locally, not only are you supporting your community, but you are also lowering your carbon footprint. And in some cases, you can save a lot of money by avoiding shipping and handling fees for online products.

7. Have Plants In and Outside Your Home

Plants are a natural carbon sink. They absorb carbon dioxide from the air, thus lowering your emissions. There are a variety of indoor plants you can keep that require very little maintenance and can brighten up a room.

If you do have a yard, consider planting trees or taking up gardening as a hobby. Not only can you grow your own veggies, but everything acts as a natural carbon sink that can lower your emissions.

You can even expand this to start composting leftovers to use as fertilizer for your plants. This easily reduces the amount of waste your household produces. If you are looking for something simple, try one of these plants.

8. Use Reusable Bags and Water Bottles

Single-use plastics are a major problem for the environment. Not only do they produce greenhouse gases and other harmful toxins, they end up in our oceans, where they take thousands of years to break down.

Two of the most common forms of single-use plastics are plastic shopping bags and water bottles. If you live in an area that still uses plastic bags, bring your own reusable ones. Not only are these more fashionable, but freezer bags can keep your frozen goods cold.

Water bottles have the same logic. Reusable bottles look better, can hold more water, and can save you money. Many businesses will fill up your water bottle for free if you ask. Find the one that fits your personality.

9. Eat Less Meat

Aside from electricity generation and the transportation sector, agriculture comes in at number three as far as emissions are concerned. While this may come as a surprise, the truth is that cows and other farm animals produce a lot of carbon.

A single cow can produce 220 pounds of methane each year. Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon, and when you consider that there are well over one billion cows kept as livestock around the world, it is a problem.

As such, reducing the amount of meat you eat can help reduce the demand, thus shrinking the population of cows in the world. At the very least, eat other meats like chicken that are less impactful on the environment if you have the option.

10. Drive Less

Since the EV adoption rate is so low, odds are that if you own a car, it uses an internal combustion engine (ICE). As such, anytime you can choose to not drive somewhere and instead walk or bicycle there, it is a good way to reduce your carbon footprint.

Not to mention it is just a healthier way to get around. Even if you do have an EV, charging it still impacts the environment since we rely on natural gas for most energy production. With this said, it is not always possible.

In cases where it is not, try to see if there are any carpooling options. Many jobs may have small carpooling groups you might be able to join. It helps reduce the number of cars on the road and free up parking at a business.

Make Your Climate Pledges Today

Now is a great time to come up with climate pledges you can follow. Just be sure to keep it reasonable. For example, it would be easy for me to say buy an Electric car, but that is not realistic for most people.

Take a look at your everyday life and try to identify areas where you can reduce your carbon footprint. Start with small things and work towards larger goals. If more citizens take a proactive approach, governments would be sure to follow.

And maybe more importantly, companies will take notice and create products that align with those goals.