Rollbacks of emissions targets are when we decide to aim for smaller goals instead of bigger ones, like changing our mind halfway through a game.
Imagine you and your friends are playing a race to the top of a hill. You all agree that the goal is to reach the very top, that’s your emissions target. But halfway up, you realize it's really hard, and maybe you're tired. So instead of reaching the top, you decide to just aim for the middle of the hill, that’s a rollback.
Sometimes, this happens because we find out that reaching the big goal is harder than we thought, or we need more time. It's like when you start a new puzzle and realize it has 100 pieces instead of 20, you might take a break and come back later with a simpler one.
A rollback doesn’t mean you gave up completely; it just means you’re taking a different path to get there, maybe with more time or help from others.
Examples
- A country decides to cut its emissions goals in half because it thinks meeting the original target is too hard.
- Rolling back a target means saying, 'We won’t aim as high this time.'
- It’s like lowering the goal of a race so runners don’t have to go as fast.
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See also
- How are Irish poets responding to the climate crisis?
- Heatwaves: how hot can it get?
- How Climate Change causes Extreme Weather Events?
- How Does Causes and Effects of Climate Change | National Geographic Work?
- How Do Greenhouse Gases Actually Work?