2020 was a record-breaking year for the health of our planet and its people. But was it a turning point in climate change history? Emissions dropped and the streets were empty, yet CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere rose to new highs. We review the Copernicus Climate Change Service data from 2020, highlighting the rapidly warming Arctic with its 38°C record in Siberia, severe hurricane season in the Atlantic, and the many droughts, floods and wildfires across the world. We heard a lot about the ‘new normal’ imposed by coronavirus restrictions, but are these changes the beginning of a shift towards a lower-emissions society? Are we ready to ‘flatten the curve’ on climate change? Or is 2020 just a chink in the upwards trend of global warming?

Our guests are:
Carlo Buontempo, Director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service
Nathan Méténier, Climate and Environment Activist, Student, and Member of the UN Secretary General Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change General António Guterres
Dr Jane Goodall, Environmental Activist and Conservationist
Oksana Tarasova, Oksana Tarasova, Head Of Atmospheric Environment Research Division, World Meteorological Organisation

Join us for a live discussion with our guests. Please feel free to send your questions!
0:00 Presentation of the guests
1:00 Should countries see the climate crisis as being as important as the COVID-19 crisis?
2:37 Was there a change in 2020 in our understanding of the climate crisis because of COVID-19?
11:03 Are we back to do business as usual once the coronavirus crisis is over?
14:09 How should youth get involved in the fight against climate change?
21:08 How can science influence environmental law?
22:47 How can we change the way that rich business owners think about climate change?
26:21 Do countries around the world see the climate crisis in the same way?
29:14 How much of the daily actions we take can change the course of climate change?
35:54 How useful is it to plant trees to reduce CO2?
41:39 Is solar forcing considered in climate models?
42:52 Are emissions the only cause of global warming?
45:08 Will the Earth flatten once the glaciers melt?
48:27 How is the UN taking part in the conversation?
51:27 Did COVID-19 have an impact on climate change?
55:29 What are the reasons for hope?

Read more about climate change on our website https://www.euronews.com/programs/climate-now

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