(ORDO NEWS) — The first months of this year have left no trace of the old life: the coronavirus pandemic no longer seems to be the main problem, and armed conflicts, economic turmoil and the threat of famine of unprecedented proportions can hardly fit into one’s head.
But this is only part of the problem. For example, in May 2022, more than 300 people in South Africa died due to record-breaking rainfall that washed away buildings and infrastructure in the province of Kwa-Zulu-Natal.
A day earlier, dozens of people died in the Philippines after Tropical Storm Mega brought landslides and flooding.
Extreme heat, the loss of the Arctic ice sheet and rising sea levels no longer seem abstract to anyone. And if action is not taken in the next decade to combat climate change, our daily lives will change forever.
What is happening to the Earth’s climate?
For decades, scientists have tried to convey to the general public the dangers of climate change, which today are observed almost daily. One reason is greenhouse gas emissions.
Their combination creates a kind of heavy blanket in the atmosphere, trapping heat on Earth. But even if we cut our carbon footprint, we still run into problems.
Extreme weather events will occur more frequently, becoming more intense. Without urgent action, hurricanes, landslides, floods and droughts will change daily life forever, scientists warn.
The results of numerous scientific studies have shown that today’s extreme events are only the beginning. As temperatures rise, the heat will become unbearable, which means agriculture and food supplies will be at risk.
More and more people will be forced to leave their homes, jeopardizing political and social stability across the planet.
Countries have previously committed to climate change mitigation under the Paris Agreement. However, as the UN commission stated in February, things did not go beyond promises, and the actions taken were catastrophically insufficient.
Climate: what you need to know
Climate change is generally long-term changes in temperatures and weather patterns.
Most of these changes are natural, but since the 1800s, human activity has been the main driver of global warming due to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.
Moreover, failure to limit the amount of CO2 emissions over the next eight years will result in record temperatures rising. This means that by 2030 we will witness unprecedented changes and extreme climate events. And to put it bluntly, the future is bleak.
How to deal with climate change?
Over the past few years, the academic community and world leaders have been talking about fighting climate change. However, this “struggle” is no longer relevant, and it is about adapting to changes due to global warming. The so-called “window of opportunity” for a livable future is “quickly closing”.
As Alex Hall, director of the UCLA Center for Climatology, told CBS News reporters, we have only eight years to mitigate the coming situation. Only large-scale and urgent action will help to avoid the worst-case scenario. In addition, we have the necessary knowledge and technology to implement our plans. But time is really very short.
One of the main problems, according to the researchers, is the reluctance of governments or private companies to take responsibility for the negative contribution and inaction in the fight against the climate crisis.
Given the international situation, countries are not abandoning the extraction of fossil fuels, and the transition to “green energy” has left the current agenda. And if nothing changes, in the long run, oil production will simply destroy us.
Researchers also point to the lack of a coherent transition policy for either governments, communities, or the private sector. While corporations and governments are the biggest contributors to the crisis, individuals also play an important role in the ongoing events.
If we do not respect other people on Earth, we will not be able to solve climate problems. Previously, researchers noted that the future of our civilization depends on the “personal choice of each” and the rejection of the usual level of consumption and lifestyle.
Apocalypse Now
Speaking about the climate situation, one cannot fail to note its contribution to the pandemic and the spread of dangerous infectious diseases. Deforestation and agricultural needs have led to frequent contact with wildlife, which means that bats, birds, rodents and monkeys freely exchange viruses with us.
As a rule, it takes a long time for the virus to cross the interspecies barrier, and in the initial stages the infection is not transmitted from person to person. However, the ability of viruses to mutate (as we saw with the example of covid) works with a bang.
So, monkeypox, discovered in 1959, was considered a rare disease that practically did not spread in the human population, but today it infects more and more people around the world.
What’s more, concerns have recently been reported by the Singapore authorities, who are dealing with an “emergency” over dengue fever, a seasonal disease that broke out unusually early this year.
Thus, in a number of states in Southeast Asia, more than 11,000 cases have already been registered, which is much more than during 2021.
Unfortunately, climate change will continue to contribute to the spread of such diseases, with increasing impacts on the health and well-being of people around the world.
Save the planet and humanity
Since climate change is one of the most serious environmental problems facing humanity and natural ecosystems. Solving this problem requires stabilizing the average temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030.
We must adhere to a sustainable consumption model and protect trees so that they can absorb carbon dioxide, the researchers remind
According to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, by 2029 warming could exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius. And this is if all CO2 emissions are reduced tomorrow. If the moderate emission of greenhouse gases is moderate, then by 2057 the warming on the planet may exceed 2 degrees Celsius.
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