In recent months, there has been an explosion of climate promises.

The world's largest economies such as China, the EU, Japan, South Africa and the USA with Joe Biden as the new president have said that they intend to phase out fossil fuels. In addition, around 100 countries have said that they are preparing decisions to become carbon neutral by 2050.   

"Quantum leap towards carbon neutrality"

If these promises are fulfilled, the world will be able to stop global warming so that it stays at 2.1 degrees, the upper limit that the Paris Agreement claims to be able to tolerate, according to calculations made by the organization Climate Action Tracker.

UN chief Antonio Guterres, who on Wednesday gave a keynote address at Columbia University in New York on the state of the planet, took note of this.

He said that in 2021, the world will see a quantum leap towards carbon neutrality.

Above all, renewable energy replaces coal power faster than previously thought.

The market for electric cars is growing rapidly.

But he emphasized that promises are one thing.

"We need all governments to translate their promises into plans and goals with a clear timeline.

That is what the business community and the financial sector need to invest in net zero ”. 

Coins with two sides

This requires an increased pace.

To keep global warming below two degrees, renewable energy must increase sixfold and the growth of electric cars must be 22 times faster, according to new calculations from the World Resource Institute.

Antonio Guterres also said that the recovery after the corona and the repair of the planet must be two sides of the same coin. 

2020 was a good start.

Then the world's coal and oil production fell by seven percent, forced by the corona pandemic.

The use of oil and coal must continue to decrease by six percent a year.

But several countries are planning to increase their use of fossil fuels. 

It has never been clearer that the future of the planet weighs. 

According to a new report today from WMO, the World Meteorological Organization, 2020 was one of the three warmest years since the measurements began.

It brought with it extensive fires, hurricanes, world oceans that are suffocated by plastic and acidified by all the carbon dioxide they store.

Record high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Deserts are spreading.

Diseases caused by viruses jumping from animal to human are becoming more common as forests are ravaged and animals and humans are crowded into smaller and smaller areas.

Race against time

But on the other hand, on Monday it was announced that the EU will continue to reduce its emissions, Poland is phasing out coal power, there is a new determination among politicians to decide on decommissioning plans for fossil fuels, and this is done in collaboration with companies that see new, green profitable markets . 

The UN chief sent a word of warning.

"We are at war with nature and risk ruining our future before we even fully realize the risks."

It's a race against time. 

But now that it's time to sum up 2020, it can be stated that it is absolutely not run.

If the politicians keep their promises, that is.