The Global Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development seek to end poverty and hunger, realise the human rights of all, achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and ensure the lasting protection of the planet and its natural resources.
2030 target – policy scope Net zero broadly refers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through a combination of energy efficiency, renewable energy and other measures, and usage of offsets.
By signing the Chicago Climate Charter, Mayors in the region are addressing climate action at the local level by committing to reduce emissions while expanding economic opportunity and quality of life. Many local leaders will also make aggressive individual commitments for their respective cities.
The Paris Agreement is a landmark in the multilateral climate change process because, for the first time, a binding agreement brings all nations together to combat climate change and adapt to its effects.
Heat risk in Chicago, IL By 2050, people in Chicago are projected to experience an average of about 38 days per year over 92.7ºF. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves, even in places with cooler average temperatures. See more information on heat risk.
For years, scientists and politicians have been saying that the climate battle will be won or lost in the next decade. That narrative was boosted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which contends global emissions must be halved by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 to avoid climate catastrophe.
They should even reach net zero by the middle of the 21st century. To stay below 1.5 °C of global warming, emissions need to be cut by roughly 50% by 2030. This figure takes into account each country's documented pledges. After the Paris Agreement was signed, global emissions continued to rise rather than fall.
The treaty – the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – is non-legally binding but led to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 which established legally binding obligations for developed countries to reduce emissions.
The core of the EGD is the European Climate Law of June 2021, which prescribes the reduction of net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 as a legally binding target for the EU and its member states.
Illinois passed the historic Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2021, putting the state on the pathway to 100% clean energy by 2050. By 2024, Illinois cut emissions 20% from 2005 levels, but meeting the state's 2025 climate target would require an additional 39% cut from present-day emissions.