The climate change issue is the major issue of our time, and is occurring quicker than we had hoped. We aren’t impotent in the face of the global threat. As Secretary General Antonio Guterres pointed out in September, “the climate emergency is an ongoing race that we’re losing but it’s one we can win”.
No region of the globe is safe from the devastation caused by climate changes. The rising temperatures are causing environmental destruction, natural disasters, extreme weather as well as water and food insecurity as well as conflicts, economic disruption and terrorist attacks. Sea levels are increasing and there is a rise in the Arctic is melting and coral reefs are dying off, oceans are becoming acidic as are forests burning. It’s evident that normalcy isn’t enough. As the price of the climate crisis rises to unstoppable heights, now is the time to take radical collective actions.
Global TEMPERATURES INCREASING
Millions ton of tons of CO2 is released into the air every year due to coal as well as oil and gas production. Human activity has been generating greenhouse emissions of gas at a record number, with no signs that it is slowing. Based on a ten-year review of UNEP Emission Gap reports, we’re on track to keep an “business as normal” trend.
The past four years were among the four warmest ever recorded. According to the Sept. 19, 2019 World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report that we are 1 degree Celsius above the preindustrial level and near the level that scientists consider to be “an unacceptable risk”. In 2015, the Paris Agreement on climate change calls for a limit on warming “well lower than” 2 degrees Celsius and the determination to limit the rise more, to 1.5 degrees. However, if we do not reduce global emissions, the temperature could increase to more than three degrees Celsius by the year 2100, which could cause more irreparable damage to our natural ecosystems.
Glaciers and ice sheets that are located in the polar and mountain regions are melting more quickly than everbefore, leading to sea levels rising. Nearly two-thirds of all cities that have populations greater than five million live in areas that are in danger of rising sea levels and more than 40 percent of the world’s population lives within 100km from a coastline. If there is no action taken in the near future, entire areas that include New York, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Osaka, Rio de Janeiro, and numerous other cities could be submerged within the next few years which could result in the displacement of thousands of residents.
Food and water security
Global warming has a direct impact on the security of water and food for everyone. Climate change is the direct reason for soil degradation, which restricts the amount carbon the earth can to hold. About 500 million people reside in areas that are which are affected by erosion. up to 30 % of food items are destroyed or wasted because of. In addition, climate change is limiting the quality and availability of water used for drinking and agriculture.
In many areas, the crops which have thrived for long periods are struggling to sustain which makes food security vulnerable. These impacts be primarily felt by the poor and vulnerable. Global warming will cause the gap in economic output between nations with the highest incomes and the lowest increase.
NEW EXTREMES
The effects of climate and weather extremes have long been a part of the Earth’s system. However, they are getting more frequent and severe as the planet warms. Every continent is a target and droughts, heatwaves as well as hurricanes, typhoons and droughts creating massive destruction all over the globe. 90% of the catastrophes are now classified as being climate-related or weather-related and costing the global economy 520 billion dollars every year, and more than 26 million are forced into poverty as a consequence.
A CATALYST for CONFLICT
Climate change poses a serious threat to security and peace. The impacts of climate change intensify the competition for resources, including food, land and water, which can lead to social tensions and, more often, causing large-scale displacement.
A climate-related risk increaser which can make already-existing challenges worse. The droughts that plague Africa as well as Latin America directly feed into tensions and violence in the political arena. In fact, the World Bank estimates that, without intervention over 140 million people across Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America as well as South Asia will be forced to relocate within their respective regions by 2050.
A PATH FORWARD
Although the science confirms the climate’s effects are unquestionable however, it also informs us that it’s possible to reverse the rising tide. It will require radical changes throughout the entire our lives, such as the way we cultivate food, manage the land, transport goods and drive our economies.
Although technology has played a role in the climate crisis, new and effective technologies are able to help reduce net emissions and help create an environment that is cleaner. Technology solutions are readily available for more than 70 percent of the emissions today. In many areas, renewable energy is currently the most cost-effective energy source and electric vehicles are on the verge to become the norm.
While we wait nature-based solutions can provide breathing space’ as we work towards the process of decarbonizing our economy. They allow us to limit a part of carbon emissions, while providing essential ecosystem services and biodiversity, as well as access to clean water, better livelihoods, healthy diets as well as food security. Solutions based on nature include improved agriculture practices, restoration of land conservation, as well as the eco-friendly the food chain.
The development of new and efficient technologies as well as natural-based solutions will allow us all to make a leap to a healthier more resilient and sustainable world. If businesses, governments as well as civil society, young people and academics work together to make a more sustainable future where injustice is lessened and justice is defended and peace is restored between humans and the planet.
