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The Doomsday Clock, created back in 1947 by J. Robert Oppenheimer, remained at 90 seconds before midnight this week as concerns over war, climate, mass migration, the influence of AI, and other risks grew.
Adding to these uncertain times, half the world’s population in more than 40 countries will elect new leaders in 2024. While no one can predict the future, the outcome of these elections could tip the balance in the global fight against climate change.
Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall said that 2024 “could be the most consequential voting year in terms of the fate of our planet” and that “Every vote matters more this year than perhaps any time in history.” She referenced the recent change in Brazil’s presidency from Jair Bolsanaro to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to illustrate the immediate impacts – deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon declined 50 percent in 2023 to a five-year low.
From a US perspective, the current favorite for the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump, has pledged to reverse many of the current US climate policies – national and international. In the event of another Trump presidency, the “Project 2025” document outlines how the administration will reverse clean energy funding and increase oil and gas production.
While there are many factors that influence voters, a new analysis revealed that climate anxiety gave the Democrats a 3% edge in the 2020 Trump v Biden vote, and that could be enough to swing the 2024 election.
The European Union’s Green Deal also hangs in the balance. The bloc is set to test voters’ appetite for climate policies ahead of their June elections with a new goal of reaching a 90% reduction in emissions by 2040. A recent study of EU polls points to more seats for populist politicians and losses for greens, which the study says “would significantly undermine the EU’s Green Deal framework.”
In Mexico, the opposite is happening. The favorite to win their election is a climate scientist, Claudia Sheinbaum, now the current mayor of Mexico City. She has vowed to meet 50% of the country’s energy demand from renewables by 2030.
While 2024 will be punctuated by speculation on the influence of politics on climate and many other issues, the one clear message is to get out and VOTE!
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Biden Halts Huge LNG Platform
President Biden announced earlier this week what climate OG Bill McKibben called “the biggest thing a U.S. president has ever done to stand up to the fossil fuel industry.”
In pausing approval of the largest liquid natural gas (LNG) export terminal in the United States, Biden sided with 170 scientists to stop the Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) export facility and other LNG facilities as together they could annually contribute more carbon emissions than the whole of Europe.
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