Carbon pollution from fossil fuel use reached the highest level yet in 2010, according to the International Energy Agency. So should we throw up our hands? No, this is a wake-up call that countries need to significantly speed up the pace of their action to reduce emissions. And when they come to the Earth Summit in Rio next June -- just one short year from now -- they have a chance to do just that. They better come prepared to implement new actions at home on climate and energy at the Earth Summit – held from June 4-6 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As NRDC’s President put it:
“When it comes to the protection of our planetary home, failure is not an option. We have no choice but to try to assure that the Earth Summit next year is truly historic and transformative and puts us on a road to a low carbon, greener and brighter future.”
In preparation for this “race to Rio”, NRDC is launching a detailed set of actions that countries, companies, and citizens can commit to implement at the Earth Summit (more details here). These are actions that will help protect the planet from the dangers of global warming, save citizens money, create jobs, and reduce pollution. They aren’t new ideas, nor are they innovative. They are steps that some governments around the world are beginning to implement. And they are steps that can be taken now.
So what we need at the Earth Summit next year is for more countries and companies to come to Rio and commit to implement these specific steps. And for countries that have already committed to these actions, we need clear commitments for how quickly they will be implemented. As the recent carbon pollution figures show us, we can’t wait until 2020 for countries to take action. We need implementation now in order to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
While the climate negotiations will continue, governments, companies, and civil society groups should come to the Earth Summit prepared to take tangible steps towards greater deployment of low-carbon energy technologies, improved energy and water efficiency, reduced deforestation emissions, reduced black carbon emissions, and the stimulation of low-carbon economies by implementing these critical steps:
These steps by themselves aren’t sufficient to address global warming, but by taking these steps countries will show that they are serious in their commitments to address global warming and deploy clean energy. After all, these are very reasonable and effective steps.
So while Rio is a beautiful city to visit, world leaders and the CEOs of major companies should only attend if they are prepared to implement these steps in their country and their products. Otherwise they should stay home and explain to their citizens and consumers why they won’t implement these very reasonable actions to protect their children and grandchildren’s future.
Nothing short of this is sufficient for world leaders as they come to the next Earth Summit in 2012.
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