Striking Targets

After decades fighting for basic climate action, a new focus is required: demanding action that matches the true scale and urgency of the climate emergency. This report urges this shift.

In his foreword to Striking Targets, acclaimed sustainability writer and advisor, Paul Gilding, sets a clear and urgent tone. Drawing from decades of experience and his influential works The Great Disruption and The One Degree War Plan, Gilding reinforces that the science is no longer in dispute: the world faces an existential threat from climate change, and the time has come to respond accordingly. He asserts that while uncertainties in climate details remain, the overall message from science is unmistakable — we must act decisively to reduce the risk of catastrophic climate impacts.

Gilding argues that the world will inevitably come to accept the true scale of the threat and respond with the seriousness it demands. He anticipates a historic turning point, when societies recognise that failing to act risks not just environmental harm but the collapse of global economic and social systems. In that moment, he believes, the only rational choice will be to initiate a full-scale emergency mobilisation, comparable in scale to World War II efforts — harnessing every tool of political will, technological innovation, and collective determination.

Ultimately, Gilding’s and Sutton’s message is one of hard-edged optimism. They insists that a safe climate is still achievable, but only through a rapid and well-planned emergency response. Anything less would be a reckless gamble with civilisation’s future. The real work ahead, they concludes, is to design and implement a plan equal to the scale of the crisis.