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Letters | Climate change battle won’t be won without fossil fuel action
- People have been misled into believing that individual actions to protect our environment will determine our future, and if not, we’d have failed
- The greatest threat to ecosystems, and humankind, is the fossil fuel industry and its carbon emissions
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Why you can trust SCMP
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As we commemorated World Environment Day this year, my campaigner’s mind felt a twinge of sorrow. This year’s theme is ecosystem restoration – which brings to mind practices we can adopt to protect the environment: tree planting and coastal clean-ups.
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People have been misled into believing that individual actions to protect our environment will determine our future, and if not, we’d have failed.
The greatest threat to ecosystems, and humankind, is the fossil fuel industry and its carbon emissions. Right now, financial institutions are providing more money to the coal industry since the Paris Agreement.
According to Climate Action Tracker, most countries are not aligned with their Paris goals. We need a radical shift in how governments and financial institutions continue to invest in and profit from dirty energy.
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World leaders pledge to cut greenhouse emissions at virtual Earth Day summit
World leaders pledge to cut greenhouse emissions at virtual Earth Day summit
China, Japan and South Korea declared net-zero goals – a clear indication that they understand business cannot go on as usual. The Asian Development Bank, the top lenders to the coal industry globally – Japan’s MUFG, SMBC, Mizuho – and the top coal underwriter, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, have also made climate declarations.
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But there’s more talk than actual climate action.
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