The United Nations has officially jumped on COVID-19’s back as it relates to climate change. A report released by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has concluded that a “green pandemic recovery” will be essential in holding a predicted rise in global temperature by the year 2100 to 2°C or less.
The report claims that a “green pandemic recovery” could cut worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent or more, which could get the planet on target to meet the goals set by the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015.
The annual Emissions Gap Report found that, despite a predicted 7-percent drop in greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 due to the pandemic, the Earth is still on pace for a 3°C temperature increase unless drastic action is taken and quickly.
“However, if governments invest in climate action as part of pandemic recovery and solidify emerging net-zero commitments with strengthened pledges at the next climate meeting – taking place in Glasgow in November 2021 — they can bring emissions to levels broadly consistent with the 2°C goal,” A UNEP press release states.
And if we’re willing to give up even more of our freedoms the news is even better.
The press release goes on: “By combining a green pandemic recovery with swift moves to include new net-zero commitments in updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, and following up with rapid, stronger action, governments could still attain the more ambitious 1.5°C goal.”
According to the report, the COVID-19 pandemic “is warning from nature to recover better by acting on climate change, nature loss and pollution. The pandemic is linked to the loss of nature, which is driven by the erosion of wild spaces. This brings humanity into closer contact with other species, which can pass their diseases onto people.”
If that’s true, then the absolute last thing we should be doing is creating massive wind and solar farms, which require up to 100 times the land area that fossil fuel plants do.
The report also claims that future pandemics can be averted with aggressive action on climate: “As the drivers of nature loss and climate change are often the same thing, acting hard and fast on climate can also protect against future pandemics.”
“The year 2020 is on course to be one of the warmest on record, while wildfires,storms and droughts continue to wreak havoc,” said Inger Anderson, UNEP’s Executive Director. “However, UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report shows that a green pandemic recovery can take a huge slice out of greenhouse gas emissions and help slow climate change. I urge governments to back a green recovery in the next stage of COVID-19 fiscal interventions and raise significantly their climate ambitions in 2021.”
Some of the measures that the reports suggests to reduce our carbon footprint include “direct support for zero-emissions technologies and infrastructure, reducing fossil fuel subsidies, and promoting nature based solutions — including large-scale landscape restoration and reforestation.”
The report goes on to state that the world needs to reform its behavior in the shipping and aviation sectors, which supposedly account for 5 percent of global emissions.
“If nothing is done, combined emissions from shipping and aviation will likely consume between 60 and 220 percent of allowable CO2 emissions by 2050 under the 1.5°C scenario. Both sectors need to combine energy efficiency with a rapid transition away from fossil fuels,” the report states.
And, of course, we’ll have to change the way we consume – especially we greedy first world nations.
“Developed nations, in particular the wealthy, bear greatest responsibility. The combined emissions of the richest one percent of the global population account for more than the poorest 50 percent,” the report declares.
“Consumption habits must change — not just to reduce climate change, but to address nature loss and pollution,” the report concludes.
Climate alarmists and their demands have been placed on the back burner of the world’s attention for most of 2020 due in large part to the coronavirus pandemic. But climate activists are predictable. You just knew that they were going to claim the COVID-19 as their own and attempt to piggyback as much of their job killing, anti-human agenda onto pandemic relief efforts as they could. This new UN report is simply more evidence of that.
