The U.S. Just Set An Impressive Climate Goal — Can We Make It Reality?

The big caveat here is that this commitment is largely nonbinding. That’s where we climate-loving citizens come in.

By keeping the pressure on our elected officials to work swiftly toward achieving this goal and doing our part to reduce our own emissions, we can help keep the momentum going in the lead-up to 2030.

As for how, climate scientist and author of Under the Sky We Make: How To Be Human in a Warming World, Kimberly Nicholas, Ph.D., says voting for candidates with good climate scores (female candidates tend to be especially strong in this department) will be particularly essential moving forward, as will writing and calling your reps directly with your climate concerns. Volunteering with climate organizations and social movements that are urging leaders to go fossil-free is also a great way to further the cause. (350.org, Fridays for Future, and Evergreen Action are a few Nicholas recommends.)

“And for high-emitting individuals (starting at incomes of $38,000 and higher), the fastest way to cut climate pollution is going flight-, car-, and meat-free. These changes make a huge difference for how fast we can actually make the transition to zero emissions happen,” Nicholas tells mbg, stressing that flying less is particularly impactful. “You’d have to skip meat for two years or avoid 10,000 plastic water bottles to equal the climate savings of skipping one round-trip flight from NYC to London.”

All the while, we also need to support a just transition for fossil fuel industry workers and ensure that everyone has access to this new cleaner, low-carbon society we’re creating.

“President Biden’s commitment to cut GHG emissions is a step in the right direction, but carbon alone does not address the realities of front-line communities disproportionately impacted by climate change,” Gloria Walton, CEO of climate justice philanthropy fund The Solutions Project, tells mbg.

This means encouraging the government to consult and actively collaborate with communities that are bearing the brunt of a warming world. “Thanks to communities organizing and building power at the ballot box, we have a federal administration committed to climate action. We have to work harder than ever because the time is now to move a people’s agenda for climate justice solutions,” Walton adds. 

Twenty countries are currently responsible for around 80% of global emissions, so other high emitters will need to show a similar sense of urgency as we approach 2030. This week, Canada, Japan, and Brazil also committed to taking bolder stances on climate moving forward.