And yet it moves

Every year on April 22nd, since 1970, Earth Day is celebrated. It was initially celebrated only by environmental activists in the first days of the movement. But as years passed by, Earth Day became a momentous occasion for the world’s leaders to negotiate adopting new environmental policies and discuss climate change.

April 22nd 2021, marked the 100th day of the new USA presidency by Joe Biden. This is usually an occasion to evaluate how well each new president is handling their new role. This time, Biden didn’t just settle with a press conference reminding the world about the importance of climate action. Instead, he has organized an international virtual summit. All the world’s countries were invited to prepare for this year’s most crucial climate appointment: the COP26. It is the United Nations’ conference on climate change. It will be held in Glasgow in November 2021, after being delayed for a year due to the restrictions imposed by the global pandemic.

Joe Biden and other leaders, mostly European, acknowledge that Glasgow’s summit’s success or failure depends on how ambitious the emissions’ countries’ reductions objectives will be so-called ‘national voluntary goals.’ President Biden has promised a 52pc reduction of GHG gases in the atmosphere to be obtained by 2030, doubling the former president Barack Obama’s effort, who predicted a 25-28pc decrease by 2025. The European Union has approved its new climate law to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and a 55pc cut of emissions by 2030. The United Kingdom is striving for a 68pc emissions’ cut by the same deadline if compared with 1990 levels, announcing a national strategy that sets the complete dismissal of coal by 2024.

The president of China Xi Jinping, whose country is re- sponsible for the world’s highest emissions, and Vladimir Putin, who was not expected to participate, especially at a time of increasing international tension, surprised everyone when he announced the national target of climate neutrality to be reached by 2060. However, it has been made clear that these goals are subject to China’s growth targets, and a clear roadmap has not been provided yet. For what concerns other countries in the world, Canada has been pressured to strengthen its plan. Japan has promised a substantial revision of its goals. Mexico presented a roadmap that was back- tracking from its original position. Moreover, South Africa and Brazil have timidly demonstrated some availability towards more ambitious climate goals. At the same time, Saudi Arabia was cautious, al- though not opposing the global effort.

Some other big countries responsible for a relevant portion of the worldwide pollution (e.g., India, Australia) did not affect their GHG emission reduction goals. For instance, India still has a relevant coal dependency even with the significant investments in renewable energy brought forward by President Modì.
In contrast, Australia is just refusing to act. World leaders then shifted the attention to the economic opportunities related to climate action. On this occasion, President Joe Biden was pushing to develop a “pact among producers” inside and outside the USA. The Secretary of treasure Janet Yellen claimed that to bring forward the “green revolution of the new millennium,” private capitals will be required; both to sustain economies to exit the pandemic (especially the weakest ones) and to expand the social security network that converts the most outdated and polluting infrastructures in developing countries.

President Biden’s summit comes from a strong foundation: now the USA doesn’t run either the G7 presidency (which is run by the UK, a country already hosting COP26) or the G20 (now handled by Italy). Therefore, President Biden’s move is ideally in line with his commitment to highlight the USA’s effort against climate change, which started first with signing the Paris Agreement and then continued with a series of measures and reforms that affected national and international politics. Moreover, President Biden has reinstated the committee of experts on environmental sciences, which Trump had dismantled. He has revoked the permit to construct the Keystone oil pipe, asked federal agencies to purchase EVs produced in the nation (which contributes to creating new jobs), halted the permits to rent federal land to extract oil and gas, and started an office that will follow internal climate policies under the guidance of John Kerry and Gina McCarthy. The climate summit is also an interesting test drive for the UK before the COP26.

The UK PM Boris Johnson will do everything in his power for the conference to run well, mainly because it will be the first of such calibre after the pandemic and the first after the entry into force of the Paris Agreements and Brexit. We, therefore, have very high hopes that the summit will run smoothly and successfully. The USA, China, Europe, the UK, and many other countries have declared they want to reach emission neutrality by the middle of the century, in a world in which the economy is pumping more and more towards the energy transition and the development of renewables. However, the scientific community is not convinced and fears for the worst. Strategies and national reduction plans have not been enough to reach net-zero by 2050 and for humanity to survive.

Big announcements won’t stop climate change progress, and the virtual or physical presence at the summit won’t necessarily mean concrete and decisive action.

If we want to continue celebrating Earth every year, we mustn’t waste the occasion to protect it.