Climate Change: Why We Shouldn’t Be Discouraged Despite Trump’s Return to Power

In his presentation, he first clarified where we currently stand regarding global warming: the latest projections forecast a temperature rise of 3.1°C by 2100, and 2.7°C if all governments fully implement the commitments made in the Paris Agreement on December 12, 2015, during COP 21. While this is still far from the maximum target of 2°C, it is better than the 4°C increase projected at the time of the Paris Agreement if no action were taken.

The speaker then explained three widespread misconceptions about climate change:

1. The term « climate crisis » may falsely suggest that it is a temporary situation. However, there is no going back. It is therefore essential to address this challenge with long-term measures. The policies implemented by the Trump administration (“Drill, Baby, Drill!”) will cripple the U.S. economy in the long run.
2. Climate change is gradual, not binary. It is not a matter of winning or losing. Every tenth of a degree less can make a significant difference, which is why every climate-friendly initiative matters to minimize the risk of extreme weather events.
3. It is a stock problem, not a flow problem. The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will continue to rise, as CO₂ remains for hundreds of years. Even if carbon neutrality is achieved by 2050, temperatures will continue to rise for a long time. This may lead people to believe that our efforts are in vain. How do we convey the urgency of action today when results will only be seen in the distant future?

In his conclusion, François Genenne asserted that businesses hold the key to driving the transition, which must be framed as a collective project. Sustainability should be seen as the pillar of growth, which must become qualitative rather than quantitative. From this perspective, GDP—which only considers quantitative factors—is not an adequate tool.

The dominance of short-term thinking in market economies also poses a significant barrier to making the long-term investments required for meaningful change.

Fighting deforestation and implementing large-scale reforestation programs are crucial for this transition. Hopefully, COP 30, which will take place in Belém, Brazil, in November this year, will mark a significant step forward in this regard!

Personally, I found this conference inspiring and hopeful, despite the increasingly discouraging news of recent years, which often pushes us toward pessimism and the belief that our efforts to improve human well-being are useless.

The road to a better future remains long and full of obstacles, but it is not completely blocked. Our role as educators is to encourage our students to contribute—within their means—to creating a better world for humanity and future generations and to equip them with the tools to do so.

So, let’s not give up in the face of the challenges ahead!