The last decade was defined by commitments to tackle the climate crisis. It began with a slow trickle and ended in a torrent of countries, cities and companies announcing goals to end deforestation, shift away from coal, transition to electric vehicles and more.

Many of these commitments were in pursuit of a massive goal — reaching net-zero emissions by mid-century. Today, 83 countries responsible for three-quarters of global emissions have net-zero commitments and policies in place. So do more than 1,000 cities and 750 companies. It’s fantastic.

But all these commitments depend on one thing: action — particularly by G20 nations.

And evidence shows that action isn’t happening fast enough. The latest IPCC report finds that we have fewer than eight years to halve the world’s greenhouse gas emissions if we hope to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), the target scientists say is necessary for preventing the worst impacts of climate change.

It’s increasingly clear that if we are to achieve transformative change at breakneck speed, climate action must be good for people here and now. This is a fundamental shift in thinking from where we were even 10 years ago. A shift in focus — from CO2 "parts per million" to people — is what will make climate action stick.

There are no silver bullets, but there are three essentials to sticky climate action:

  1. First, get real
    Promises to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century need to be credible. Too many anemic climate commitments and lack of transparency have understandably prompted skepticism.
  2. Second, get ready
    The transition to net-zero emissions is coming. We need to make major systemic changes now to ensure the path will be smooth, reliable and just.
  3. Third, get right
    We must confront and address the central uncomfortable truth of the climate crisis: Those who are least responsible for creating the problem are the most affected by it.

Read the full article about climate action by Ani Dasgupta at GreenBiz.