Pragmatic Optimism for the Climate

My lens for the world - and from which I will write!

Let me start by asserting that the world needs to deliver on a 1.5-2°C pathway – the physical (heat waves, floods, fires, …) consequences of not doing so are simply too dire.

Now let me share my current level of optimism that we can do so: low to non-existent.

Why is a climate enthusiast like me so bearish?

The sad fact is that a 1.5°C pathway requires, at a minimum, 6% annual global carbon footprint reduction through 2030, then ~3% global footprint reduction from 2030 to 2050. Then a global net zero footprint.

To put that in context, when a global pandemic shut down the world in 2020, we saw a carbon footprint reduction of ~6-7%. So… needless to say, the scale of transformation needed is difficult to fully come to grasps with.

The good news?

Delivering on this pathway is certainly possible. The world has a lot of tools at its disposal (e.g., clean technologies, carbon removal, behavioral change) – cumulatively calling for trillions of dollars in annual global investment (not unparalleled, think scale of COVID relief annually).

So… what do we, as society, do to increase our chances? More than just reaching into Uncle Sam’s pocket, buying only EVs, installing solar on our roofs, and the like…

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I’d propose an approach of pragmatic optimism. Ambition blended with realism. All with the goal of focusing our collective efforts and energy where it matters, and wasting as little time as possible.

My future Climate Musings will center around this theme. How to deliver pragmatic optimism across a complicated climate landscape – across technologies (new and old), industries (dirty and clean), and institutions (private and public).

I look forward to sharing my perspectives with you all and hope they are both informative, informational, and somewhat controversial…

Until next time!