In 2025, let’s focus on practical solutions for reducing global poverty

In their bids to showcase climate leadership ahead of the approaching United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26), world leaders are once again talking of ambitious carbon reduction targets. U.S. President Joe Biden, for example, has set the goal of creating “a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.” Most rich countries’ governments have formulated similar ambitions.

Trying to showcase climate leadership at the U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, President Joe Biden is reaffirming his goal of creating “a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.” But that target will be prohibitively expensive. A new Nature study shows that a 95 percent reduction by 2050 — almost within reach of Biden’s net-zero — would cost 11.9 percent of GDP or more than $11,000 for each American every year.