One And a Half Degrees
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Editor-in-Chief of Riigikogu Toimetised
The issue of Riigikogu Toimetised you are holding in your hands reflects the current state of our ambitions and the situation relating to our idea of the green transition.
Yes, we are ready to build houses with better thermal insulation and to reconstruct old houses. We are ready to readjust our energy production and, in a more distant future and reluctantly, to turn our backs on oil shale. However, will it make any difference? The real question is: how great an effort would be needed to stop the climate change on the whole planet, and who will really join these efforts in their actions? Estonia may be a wonderful small green country where each and every little child sorts waste and no car runs on fossil fuel. However, what use will it be if China continues to build coal-based power stations, if only EU member states reduce their methane emissions, if those who burn the most coal do not join the ban on burning coal, and so on and so forth? Climate does not know anything about countries or their governments. If the whole planet does not make the transition all at once, eve-rything will go on as it is now. The moment has arrived in global diplomacy where it is necessary to achieve a truly global consensus on how this planet can survive. Esto-nia alone will not be enough, Europe alone will not be enough. We can all see that there is still a long way to go to this consensus.