Carbon dioxide emissions must fall by the equivalent of a global lockdown every two years for the next decade for the world to keep within safe limits of global heating, scientists claim.

COVID-19 allowed for supposedly temporary measures to morph into two years of “emergency” restrictions. But it seems that COVID was only the opening act, and another proclaimed crisis is the main event.

Calls for harsh government measures in the name of saving the environment are becoming common. In November 2020, the Red Cross proclaimed that climate change is a bigger threat than COVID and should be confronted with “the same urgency”. Bill Gates recently demanded dramatic measures to prevent climate change, claiming it will be worse than the pandemic.

Now scientists believe that lockdowns, which significantly reduced carbon emissions during 2020, could be the solution. What could climate lockdowns look like? Most likely a gradual and discrete ramp-up of restrictions. Special carbon taxes have been discussed which would limit the miles you can drive or fly. Schools, especially those heavily influenced by teachers’ unions, could impose permanent online-only days.

At the same time, areas of the country could regularly experience rolling blackouts. And as fossil fuels go by the wayside, consumers may be prevented from buying new cars, lawnmowers or chainsaws.

Anyone against such measures would be labelled a “climate denier” or simply a “domestic terrorist”. Facial recognition and plate-reading software, already in use across the country, could lead to severe enforcement.

But don’t expect the new rules to apply to everyone equally. During the pandemic, elites didn’t wear masks in private — only their servers, drivers and cleaners do. You will be held responsible for your personal carbon footprint, enforced by either law or social convention. But climate evangelists such as Jeff Bezos will receive special dispensations for their carbon use.

Source Unredacted News

Nature Climate Change