Today I ask myself: Have any of you decided to listen to GRETA's entire speech and dig a little deeper than the words offered by the press? I would honestly hope that many would answer yes, however, something tells me that in the hectic rush of everyday life, very few made the decision to do so, perhaps even many do not even know what we are talking about and few will be the exceptions that They were interested in knowing about the environmental agreements and commitments adopted by each of the countries present, in the face of climate change. And it is precisely for that reason that I am here, because beyond an opinion or a judgment, my intention is to share valuable information that every citizen of the world should know.
To begin with, let's remember the words that rumble in social media of GRETA's speech: “People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are at the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth." for many, without a doubt, this may sound exaggerated and catastrophic, but for those of us who work in the environmental area, it is a daily reality that not only alerts us but also generates a transformation in life habits.
We are in a countdown, as of January 1, 2018, the world had 420 gigatons of CO2 left to emit into the environment, this to have a 67% chance of staying below 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoiding an environmental collapse. Today these emissions have been reduced to 350 gigatons of CO2, however, this is not enough because we continue to emit greenhouse gases that, added to those already existing in the atmosphere, would take 8 and a half years to disappear completely, we do not have all that time.
The data is clearly uncomfortable, we are facing a reality that few of us want to assume with coherence and action, however, we all see it and experience it in news, documentaries, networks and even in the ecosystem and climate of our daily lives.
How many of us (myself included) are really capable of reaching such a level of coherence and environmental commitment, to the point of using zero-emission transport as Greta, despite the discomfort? Or drastically change our consumption and eating habits? Then: who are we to make a judgment when we are not being an example?
It is exactly here where the opportunity is born, where the invitation arises to start being the change from the small actions and decisions that we constantly make. Awareness is a gradual process that we have to promote and speed up, the planet urges us!
I don't know about you, but I fall in love with natural wealth, it recharges me with energy and good vibes, it fills me with health! And not only that of our country, but that of the entire world. Reason why I am convinced that we cannot leave this only in the hands of governments, and that it has to be a call to each and every one of the inhabitants of the planet, if you who are reading me, to TAKE ACTION, from whatever their role: father of a family, son, entrepreneur, businessman, merchant, tourist; It doesn't matter, what really matters is that you inform yourself, have an open mind to learn and unlearn habits, consume responsibly, offset your environmental pollution and allow yourself to be an example for your environment.
Today from my role as an entrepreneur, mother and environmental activist, my commitment is to inform you about the most important announcements that closed this event, in the transition from a gray economy to a green economy:
- 65 countries have committed to zero emissions by 2050, while 70 countries will boost their national action by 2020 or have already started to do so.
- France announced that it would not conclude any trade agreement with countries that have policies contrary to the Paris Agreement.
- 12 countries today made financial commitments to the Green Climate Fund, the official financial body to help developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counteract climate change.
- The UK today made a major additional contribution, doubling its total international climate finance to L11.6 billion for the period 2020 to 2025.
- India pledged to increase renewable energy capacity to 175 GW by 2022
- China said it would cut emissions by more than 12 billion tons a year, and follow a path of high-quality growth and low-carbon development.
- The European Union announced that at least 25% of the next EU budget will be devoted to climate-related activities.
- The Russian Federation announced that it will ratify the Paris Agreement, bringing the total number of countries that have joined the Agreement to 187.
- Pakistan said it would plant more than 10 billion trees in the next five years.
And what is Colombia committed to? … Here I share a summary, according to the intervention of President Duque in the aforementioned event: (for those who want to see it, it is posted on our Facebook: @Redsimbiotic)
To start, a brief context of our country in environmental matters:
- Colombia represents only 0.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions – GEI
- It has the sixth cleanest energy matrix in the world.
- We have 50% of the planet's moors and more than 40% of our territory can be considered a humid tropical forest, much of it located in the Amazon.
- Colombia is one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change.
Now, let's list the concrete actions:
- By 2030, 70% of energy sources will come from renewable energies at the regional level where the following countries participate in an alliance: Chile, Peru, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
- 400,000 Colombians will have an electrical energy solution through solar panels.
- Fight against deforestation, planting 180 million trees by 2022.
- Sustainable Livestock: 100 thousand Silvopastoral Hectares.
- Implementation of the Circular Economy Policy
- Leticia Pact: A pact to protect the Amazon, a World Heritage Site. In which participate: Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana and Suriname. In order to share management, protection and prevention of the Amazon, through indicators.
- By 2050 with the grand coalition, become carbon neutral.
- Tax incentives in electric mobility and investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency. For the latter, ALL companies that decide to invest will be allowed to discount 50% of their investments in corporate income tax.
So it's time to:
“Move from the speech to action andmoving from desks to territories”
* Taken from UN: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/assets/pdf/CAS_closing_release.pdf
