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In the coming months, half of the world’s population will go to the polls. To say there is a lot at stake would be putting it mildly. Climate advocates are asking the silent majority that supports more climate action to speak up.
In his speech last week titled “Two years to save the world,” UN Climate Chief Simon Stiellasked citizens to “raise their voices.” adding that taking action at the ballot box was a “sure-fire way to get climate at the top of the cabinet agenda.”
Stiell cited a recent Gallup poll of over 130,000 people in 125 countries, in which 89% said they would like their government to do more on climate change, to show the disconnect between global support for climate action and policymakers’ inaction.
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On the other side of the Atlantic, in an interview at a climate leadership conference, former Vice President Al Gore said he believed that climate activists would triumph over Trump’s anti-climate action agenda in the upcoming election. He hedged a bit and added that even if Trump wins, “the favorable trends in renewable energy, battery storage, electric vehicles, green hydrogen, circular manufacturing, regenerative agriculture, sustainable forestry, would all continue to move in the right direction.”
Climate policies are definitely progressing, especially in countries most at risk of a changing climate. In India, where the world’s largest elections start today (April 19), amidst unprecedented heat waves, parties are including pages of climate policies in their manifestos where there was no mention at all in the recent past. Mexican front-runner Claudia Sheinbaum this week announced $13.6 billion in funding for a clean energy transition, saying, “We have to speed up the promotion of renewable energies.”
On the other hand, EU parties scared of a lurch to the right in June elections seem to be backtracking. In a leaked document that spells out the proposed strategic agenda for the EU 2024-2029, climate and nature restoration are hardly mentioned, in stark contrast to previous agendas where they featured heavily.
This story will play out over the coming months. But, as Al Gore said, the gears are in motion. The results of these elections will either accelerate or hamper progress, but progress toward a more sustainable, low-carbon economy is now almost inevitable. However, the pace of progress is crucial as Gore says, “The crisis is still getting worse faster than we’re deploying the solutions. If we gain more momentum, we’ll begin to gain on the crisis itself.” How each of these votes go will determine the pace of progress.
This Smart Read article is contributed by Tim Mohin, Global Sustainability Leader, BCG. Every week ESG News delivers smart commentary from ESG practitioners and experts to unpack issues of the week. Submit your ESG Smart Read to editor@esgnews.com
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