Climate Crisis has Dominated the entire Year

Global carbon emissions rebounded with a fury after a rare pandemic-related decrease in 2020. Throughout the summer, Climate calamities seemed unabated, from flooding in Western Europe and China to wildfires in Siberia and the American West. And, while world leaders made progress at the COP26 Climate summit in Glasgow, their new emission-reduction pledges are insufficient to get the world back on track.

Nonetheless, it was a year in which individuals, organisations, and governments began to band together to address the Climate crisis. It’s unclear whether this momentum will lead to the structural reforms required to quickly eliminate greenhouse-gas emissions, but progress is being made in a variety of ways, from international accords to technology advancements. Here are some of the most significant climatic advancements expected in 2021.

Internal combustion engines in trucks and automobiles are responsible for over 20% of U.S. carbon emissions, thus traditional carmakers have long been considered as a roadblock in the fight against Climate change. However, 2021 may be remembered as the year the dam burst, with automakers ranging from General Motors to Mercedes-Benz almost falling over themselves to electrify their lineups and invest in battery vehicles.

Ford unveiled an electric version of its most popular car, the F-150 pickup truck, while Tesla, the segment’s pioneer, kept chugging along, reporting record quarterly earnings. Offshore wind is one of the best decarbonization methods available, particularly for powering densely populated coastal areas such as the East Coast. Despite the fact that gigawatts of offshore wind power have been flowing in Europe and China in recent decades, the United States has only installed a few of those turbines.