Climate Change
Climate change is the defining crisis of the 21st century. It is occurring more quickly than we feared and wreaking havoc on every corner of the earth. Rising temperatures are accelerating environmental degradation; natural disasters and weather extremes are becoming more common; food and water insecurity is increasing; economic disruption, conflict, and terrorism are widespread; sea levels are rising; the Arctic is melting; coral reefs are dying; oceans are acidifying, and forests are burning.
As the unfathomable cost of climate change approaches irreversible levels, the moment has come for bold global action. Here are the different findings of the impacts of climate change:
1. GLOBAL TEMPERATURES ARE RISING
Every year, billions of CO2 are released into the atmosphere due to coal, oil, and gas production. Human activity is emitting greenhouse gases at an all-time level, with no indications of slowing. Carbon dioxide levels have fluctuated throughout history due to volcanic activity or the carbon cycle (animals and bacteria breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide while plants do the opposite). However, the rises in temperature and CO2 levels recorded during the last century have been dramatic and are accelerating. Carbon emissions are at their highest level in 66 million years, and the amount of warming in the coming decades is predicted to be 250 times more than the average warming over the previous century. - According to a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report from September 2019, we are at least one degree Celsius beyond preindustrial levels, which scientists warn is "an unacceptable risk." The 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change asks for limiting future warming to "well below" two degrees Celsius, with efforts to restrict it even further, to 1.5 degrees. However, if we do not reduce global emissions, temperatures may rise above three degrees Celsius by 2100, causing lasting damage to our ecosystems. - - Glaciers and ice sheets in arctic and alpine regions are melting faster than ever before, rising sea levels. Almost two-thirds of the world's cities with populations of more than five million are located in locations vulnerable to sea-level rise, and almost 40% of the world's population lives within 100 kilometers of a coast. If nothing is done, entire districts of New York, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Osaka, Rio de Janeiro, and many other cities may be submerged within our lifetimes, displacing millions of people.
2. FOOD AND WATER INSECURITY
Global warming impacts everyone’s food and water security. Climate change is a direct cause of soil degradation, which limits the amount of carbon the earth is able to contain. Some 500 million people today live in areas affected by erosion, while up to 30 per cent of food is lost or wasted as a result. Meanwhile, climate change limits the availability and quality of water for drinking and agriculture.
Crops that have thrived for centuries in many countries are threatened, putting food security in jeopardy. Such consequences disproportionately affect the poor and disadvantaged. Global warming is predicted to widen the gap in economic production between the world's richest and poorest countries.
3. NEW EXTREMES
Disasters linked with climate and weather extremes have always been a part of our planet's system. However, as the planet heats, they become more common and intense. Heatwaves, droughts, typhoons, and storms are causing chaos on every continent, inflicting widespread devastation. 90% of disasters are now classified as weather- and climate-related, costing the global economy 520 billion USD per year and pushing 26 million people into poverty as a result.
4. A CATALYST FOR CONFLICT
Climate change is a major threat to international peace and security. The effects of climate change heighten competition for resources such as land, food, and water, fueling socioeconomic tensions and, increasingly often, leading to mass displacement.
Climate change is a risk multiplier, worsening pre-existing problems. Droughts in Africa and Latin America are a direct cause of political turmoil and violence. In the absence of action, the World Bank projects that more than 140 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and South Asia will be compelled to migrate within their regions by 2050. As the infinite cost of climate change approaches irreversible levels, now is the time for bold global action. According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, "the climate emergency is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win." While science proves that climate change is unavoidable, it also proves that it is not too late to turn the tide.