Kristina Skierka

When applied to droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, or other extreme weather events, the term “unprecedented” is getting old. In August, when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report about the dire realities we face, a drought exacerbated by global warming already had been raging for years across much of southern Africa.

The 17 members of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate generate around 80 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. That means they have the power to pull the brakes on the climate emergency.