From Fear to Indifference: How can we Tackle the Environmental Urgency?

Since the closing of the COP21, the effects of the change in our strategy for the climate have been scrutinized: which indicators offer hope in a sufficiently powerful and fast ‘low-carbon’ transition? It is not at the global scale that signals are perceptible: the share of the global mix covered by oil, coal and gas stays steady, around 80%. The increase in CO2 emissions in 2017 and 2018 seems to postpone sine die all plausible prospects of the ‘carbon peak’. Meanwhile, the analysis of strategies adopted by the most advanced countries is insightful: 17 European countries and the US have structurally reduced their emissions, with a rapid transformation of their electrical systems. Similarly, a number of ‘weak signals’ deserve our attention: repeated citizens’ protests, lawsuits against States before the courts for ‘climatic inaction’, etc.

Spotting and analyzing those signals is essential, because the worst is not certain.