Can 2015 be the Earth Year?

The author warns that human activity is pushing the planet beyond its natural limits, risking catastrophic sea-level rises and heat waves. The text advocates for a zero-carbon society by 2050 and proposes eight specific requirements for the upcoming Paris climate deal, including limiting warming to below 2°C and recognizing the remaining global CO2 budget. It highlights 2015 as a pivotal year due to three major leadership meetings in Addis Ababa, the approval of Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris negotiations.

• Human activity is the primary driver of environmental change and is pushing the planet beyond its natural limits, risking a tipping point that would hinder sustainable development and poverty reduction.
• The world is on a trajectory to exhaust its remaining CO2 emissions budget, estimated at less than one trillion tons, within 25 years, which could lead to unmanageable sea-level rises, heat waves, and droughts affecting food security and infrastructure.
• The 'Earth Statement' identifies eight essential elements for a global climate deal: limiting warming to below 2°C, recognizing the CO2 budget, transitioning to a zero-carbon society by 2050, requiring emissions pathways from all 196 UN Climate Convention countries, promoting clean technology innovation, supporting adaptation and loss/damage, safeguarding carbon sinks, and providing development aid for climate fights.
• Recent data suggests a shift toward decarbonization, noting that energy sector CO2 emissions remained unchanged year on year for the first time without an economic downturn, and emissions in China did not increase between 2013 and 2014.

APA

Rockström, J. (2015). Can 2015 be the Earth Year? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/can-2015-be-the-earth-year/

Chicago

Rockström, Johan. Can 2015 be the Earth Year? World Economic Forum, 2015. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/can-2015-be-the-earth-year/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Rockström |first1=Johan |title=Can 2015 be the Earth Year? |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=22 April 2015 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/can-2015-be-the-earth-year/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{rockstrm2015can, author = {Rockström, Johan}, title = {{Can 2015 be the Earth Year?}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = apr, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/can-2015-be-the-earth-year/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }