We are late in the game and completely off track.

What could it look like if we treated our predicament as the emergency that it clearly is? Here are five things we would do in the next 12 months to change course and avoid catastrophe.

1. Enact a Global Fossil Fuel Phase-Out Treaty

The goal here would be to stop new fossil fuel expansion and rapidly reduce existing use.

Action steps under this treaty:

• An Immediate ban on new coal, oil, and gas exploration and subsidies.
• A mandatory national fossil fuel phase-out schedule with coal gone by 2030 in wealthy countries, oil and gas globally by 2040.
• Create a Global Just Transition Fund to support workers and fossil-dependent regions, financed by a tax on fossil companies and ultra-wealthy emitters.

This alone would bend the emissions curve faster than any other policy.

2. Launch a Global Clean Energy Marshall Plan

The goal of the marshall plan would be to replace fossil energy infrastructure at record speed.

Here are the action steps under this plan:

• Mobilise trillions in public and private capital to install renewables, grid storage, and transmission everywhere.
• Free technology transfer and open-source patents for green tech (solar, batteries, hydrogen, etc.) to developing nations.
• Create an International Renewable Corps, a climate equivalent of the Peace Corps, to train and deploy workers globally.

Think of it as rebuilding the world’s energy system the way Europe was rebuilt after WWII, only much faster.

3. Redesign Cities and Transport for Low Energy Use

The goal here is to cut demand, not just clean up the supply.

We can do this by:

• Making a massive investment in public transit, cycling, and walkability in all urban areas.
• Phasing out combustion-engine vehicles by 2035.
• Capping air travel frequency for individuals and shifting short-haul flights to electric rail wherever possible.
• Incentivising urban densification and green buildings (requiring retrofits for all existing large buildings by 2030).

This would reduce emissions, air pollution, and energy needs all at once!

4. Restore Nature as a Carbon Sink

The goal here is to assist nature to remove carbon out of the atmosphere while restoring ecosystems.

Actions under this plan:

• Protect all remaining primary forests, peatlands, and wetlands immediately.
• Restore at least 1 billion hectares of degraded land globally by 2040.
• Overhaul agriculture to regenerative systems, cutting synthetic fertilizer and methane-intensive livestock.
• Incentivise diets that shift away from industrial meat and dairy to plant based through education and pricing.

5. Rewrite the Rules of the Global Economy

Urgently align the financial system with planetary survival.

The steps here:

• Mandate climate risk accounting for every major company and bank.
• Cancel fossil fuel–linked sovereign debt for developing nations in exchange for climate investments.
• Introduce progressive global carbon pricing tied to consumption rather than production.
• Redirect military budgets (even 10%) into climate adaptation and resilience.

These steps would shift the financial system’s incentives so that climate stability becomes the core measure of economic health.

If all five of the above steps were executed together, global emissions could drop by over 50% within a decade, while improving health, jobs, and equity worldwide.

Of course there will be those who say this is impossible to do for all sorts of reasons.

For those that feel this way, I leave you with these words from Chris Packham: