“In some ways, the dire lockdowns undertaken to stop Covid-19 have fast-forwarded us into an unlikely future—one with almost impossibly bold climate action taken all at once, no matter the cost.
“Just months ago it would have been thought impossible to close polluting factories virtually overnight and slash emissions from travel by keeping billions at home. Now we know that clear skies and silent streets can come about with shocking speed.”

The journalists then spend pretty much the whole article genuflecting on all the wonderful things that have happened to the planet as the human horror unfolds: better air quality, less traffic congestion, birdsong, world peace, and durian fruit for everyone.

Ok, I made up the last two.

Then they calmly dig in the knife, and twist it:

“Because of the inertia in the climate system, even if we were to significantly reduce or stop our emissions today, you would still see the increase in temperatures expected for the next 20 years almost unaffected,” Buontempo said. “In reality it is very likely that the total concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere will continue going up in the future.”

Here’s the famous CO2 in the atmosphere plot we know so well:

See what happened during the 2008 financial crisis?

Sweet fuck all is what happened.

The article rounds off with a bit of fantasy utopia on an unlikely near-term future.

“The efforts will need to be titanic, even bigger than the ones it took to bring the world to a temporary halt in the face of Covid-19. Businesses will have to keep their green promises—and make new, more ambitious plans in the middle of the worst economic crisis in decades. People shocked by disruptions to daily life and widespread unemployment will need to rethink their daily behaviors. Nations will need to reach the sort of agreements that happen rarely in international gatherings such as the United Nations annual climate talks, now postponed until 2021 due to the virus. Governments planning to spend trillions in stimulus packages will need to invest in solutions that create jobs and growth while reducing emissions.”

Not only do the efforts need to be titanic, but we are on the Titanic.