An emergency needs emergency mobilisation

If we accept that the climate crisis is now an emergency then, by definition, we need an emergency mobilisation in response. Like any emergency, the core goal is to reduce the threat to a safe level and to protect life.

The experts broadly agree that in this case, this means stabilising the climate at 1.5 degrees (although some argue much lower), above pre-industrial levels and bringing C02 levels back down to about 350 ppm. To achieve this we’ll have to act with a level of intensity and focus that is hard to imagine today. The way experts describe this shift in behaviour and focus is ‘emergency mode’, or to liken it to war, ‘climate emergency mobilisation’. In essence, society stops business as usual and focuses all attention and resources towards reducing the threat.

This section describes what this process might look like. To introduce this section, we first explore whether shifting to emergency mode could actually ‘stop’ climate change and whether this magnitude of change is possible. We then examine the process of shifting to emergency mode - how might roles and attitudes need to change?

• Could a climate emergency mobilisation ‘stop’ climate change?

• Political and attitudinal change

• Is climate mobilisation realistic? Is this change possible?

• The role of the State

• The role of the market and business

• Security, defence and geopolitics in the Climate Emergency

• The role of civil disobedience

• The process from here to climate emergency mobilisation

The actual measures that would need to be taken to reduce emissions and restore temperatures to safe levels are discussed in “Actions Required to ‘fix’ the Climate Crisis”