Finding Hope in 2020 - Climate Edition

Hope is a critical component of activism, especially when it comes to the climate crisis.

By Daisy Crane | 

2020 has been… well, we don’t have to say it. Unprecedented. Challenging. Trying. Difficult. No matter how we describe it, we all know that 2020 has made finding hope feel more like a research project than a simple task. In an effort to spread hope, we did precisely that— a research project on finding hope in 2020. Here are a few local and global trends, pieces of legislation, and initiatives that put the climate and communities first. 

State Action:

With all the intense headlines speeding at us every day, some small but mighty pieces of legislation have been easy to miss this year: 

• In November, San Francisco passed a law that will ban the use of natural gas in new buildings. San Francisco is the latest city to pass the law, following more than 35 additional California cities that imposed similar restrictions. The bans are very important in California’s effort to decrease greenhouse gases, as natural gas accounts for 10-15% of  the greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector. 
• In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the nation’s first law requiring plastic beverage containers to contain an increasing amount of recycled plastics. Under the new law, beverage companies must use 15% recycled materials in all bottles produced by 2022, 25% by 2025, and 50% by 2030. This law is considered to be one of the most important environmental laws passed this year, and will significantly boost the market for recycled materials so that less plastic ends up in landfills. 
• Native communities, environmental organizations, and activists have been fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline for years. In July, a judge finally ordered a shutdown of the project. The court’s ruling found that the National Environmental Policy Act had been violated, and that the owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had glossed over the disastrous consequences of a potential oil spill in the original permit. This decision was a historic victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and all other environmentalists involved. The Dakota Access Pipeline will be halted until a full environmental review is conducted, which normally takes years. 
• In June, the California Air Resources Board passed a historic mandate that will set California on a path to electrify 100% of diesel trucks. The rule sets zero-emission sales targets for manufacturers starting in 2024, commits to selling only electric trucks by 2045, and is estimated to put 300,000 electric trucks on the road by 2035. This is the nation’s first electric truck standard, and is a major step forward in decreasing deadly emissions. 

Environmental Justice: 

As COVID-19 threatens respiratory health across the globe, especially for those with pre-existing conditions, the connections between public health and environmental issues in underserved communities have become increasingly undeniable. Black activists and environmental justice advocates have been raising awareness about these issues since before the Civil Rights Movement, but protests against racial injustice this summer have sparked state and community action all across the country. 

• New Jersey just passed a historic environmental justice law. The bill had been in limbo for years, but anti-racist movements over the summer created a new sense of urgency. The bill was quickly signed into law in September, resulting in landmark legislation that will now protect at-risk communities from pollutants. The law will protect communities that already face environmental and health threats by requiring the state Department of Environmental Protection to deny permits for landfills, large recycling facilities, power plants, incinerators, and sewage treatment plants if the projects threaten health and environmental risks in overburdened communities. The law will also require any business or company that wants to build in target areas to hold a public hearing prior to application and submit a statement evaluating the potential health effects. 
• New Jersey’s law takes first place as far as landmark legislation goes, but community and state actions do not end there. In an interview with Politico, Michele Roberts, National Co-coordinator of the Environmental Justice Health Alliance said that she has, “Never been so busy,” and that, “normally, we are chasing down reporters. Now, we are being asked what this is all about.” Attention of environmental justice is at an all time high as celebrities, everyday citizens, politicians, CEOs and more have begun to acknowledge racial disparities in the United States. The heightened awareness of environmental justice and public health sparked the rebirth of the National Black Environmental Justice Network, an organization that had been dormant for 14 years. At least three states and more than 20 cities and counties have declared racism a public health crisis and as public awareness grows, opportunities for environmental justice only increase. 

Climate Commitments from around the Globe: 

We still have a long way to go with corporate accountability, but the pressure on corporations to put climate at the forefront of their actions is at an all time high. Carbon neutral and carbon negative goals are a reminder that consumer demand for sustainable practices and sustainable shareholder initiatives are both increasing exponentially.

• On July 21, the heads of 21 companies announced Transform to Net Zero, “a cross-sector initiative to accelerate the transition to a net zero global economy.” Led by companies like Microsoft, Nike, Starbucks, Unilever and more, the initiative includes a commitment to reach net zero global emissions by 2050. Transform to Net Zero also includes commitments to engage with policy makers, to work with partners across all supply chains, and to continue innovating and investing at scale in business models that amplify impact and ensure a just and sustainable transition for all communities. 
• Some companies have gone beyond a carbon-neutral commitment and declared carbon negative goals. A carbon negative company removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it produces, while a carbon-neutral company (only) reduces its carbon footprint to zero. Microsoft, IKEA, TurboTax, Mint, and QuickBooks are amongst the many companies all over the world that have committed to become carbon negative within the next one to three decades. 
• Since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, the number of Fortune 500 companies with carbon-reduction commitments has increased fourfold. Sustainability is no longer a small trend; it has become mainstream, it’s driving markets, and it’s only growing in popularity.

In addition to an increase in corporate climate action, it is also important to celebrate the climate commitments made by other countries this year. 

• In September, President Xi Jinping announced that China has committed to hit peak emissions before 2030, and become carbon neutral by 2050. 
• In October, Japan announced its 2050 net zero target. 
• In April 2020, South Korean voters endorsed the country’s “Green New Deal” to decarbonize by 2050. 
• Hungary, Ireland, Singapore, Spain, and South Africa also made similar carbon-neutrality commitments. 
• In September, England banned plastic straws, stirrers and cotton swabs. 

Renewables and Technology: 

Despite the largest socially and economically disruptive year in generations, the renewable energy market has held relatively steady throughout the pandemic and big renewable energy projects remain on track. Fossil fuels still dominate in the U.S., but renewables are very close behind.

• In late September, NextEra, a major renewable energy company, briefly became more valuable than Exxon. Exxon quickly took back over, but the change in value proved that renewable energy is no weak competitor. NextEra remains close behind, a reminder that Big Oil’s dominance is wavering.
• Social distancing and other implications of the pandemic have impacted the renewable energy sector just like the rest of the world, but solar installers such as Sunnova and Sunrun remain at or near record stock market variations. Energy storage, the fastest-growing clean energy market, is also still growing at a steady rate. Five projects are still underway, including the Spotsylvania Solar Energy Center, Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind pilot, and AEP’s North Central Wind Project, exemplify the industry’s resilience and the stability of green jobs in the U.S.  
• Overall, U.S. renewable energy usage is still on the rise. The U.S. actually consumed a record amount of renewable energy in 2019 and usage has remained steady in 2020. 
• Public opinion is also looking brighter, as 77% of Americans say that it is more important to develop renewable energy sources as opposed to coal, oil and other fossil fuels. 

Conclusion: 

We must face the reality of where we stand as a global entity in the fight to mitigate the climate crisis. The truth is: We aren’t where we should be. From the recent UN reports on failures to accomplish climate goals and dramatic increases in the number of natural disasters over the last 23 years, the climate crisis often feels like a source of impending doom. But just as scientific research, corporate accountability, green legislation, grassroots activism, and new technologies are imperative to fighting climate change, so is hope. Hope, while it may seem distant at times, is a crucial component of climate action. Make climate hope part of your routine by staying up to date on climate victories. Check out the climate victories section at earthjustice.org, and subscribe to the climate and/or energy newsletters from your favorite news sources.