Phase out fossil fuels
Fossil fuels – coal, oil, and gas – account for approximately 75-90% of greenhouse gas emissions. Quite simply, we have to move rapidly towards an energy system which is no longer dependent on these polluting fuels. That will require both an ambitious timeline for phase-out (at the latest, by 2050) coupled with extensive investment in renewables.
Support a just transition
To enable the Global South to grow their economies while avoiding creating their own dependence on fossil fuels, countries in the Global North will have to contribute finance and technology. Debt repayments will have to be cancelled and debt-free loans provided for investment in green technology.
Shift economies
Economies will need to move away from a model that is highly extractive and consumption-based and instead focus on targets like human and planetary wellbeing. Ideas like doughnut and wellbeing economics provide a good model to help us achieve this.
Enable lifestyle change
Many people want to do the right thing to promote a more low-carbon lifestyle but find that the way their societies are organized to be a considerable barrier. Governments can be a significant enabler of behavioral change by investing in public transport, making walking and cycling more accessible, reducing the costs of green energy, making it easier to recycle, and expanding green spaces.
