Kenya, 19 January 2022(TDI): Climate change has marked the world since the advent of industrialization which grew as a result of globalization. In the recent conference held by the United Nations on Climate change (COP26), it was evident that there is a need to keep the planetary temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius as was indicated and agreed upon within the Paris Peace Agreement.
The difference between 1.5° & 2°C global warming:
🔸6 vs. 16 million people affected by sea-level rise
🔸70% vs. 99% of coral reefs dying
🔸double the likelihood that insects lose half their habitatMore facts about the climate crisis from @UNEP: https://t.co/76UGn7aNDA
— United Nations (@UN) January 19, 2022
In this case, it is evident that nation-states and their citizens around the world work together to ensure this temperature does not rise. The importance of the time to act on global warming is more important now than ever before as reflected in the reports provided by the UNEP.
Key facts
In this case the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which was introduced by World Metrological Organization (WMO) along with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) played a particularly important role in providing these facts. This panel ensured and ensures there is a continuous flow of objective information regarding climate change.
In the year 2013, a report was released by this international panel highlighting the effects of human activates on climate change. What was objectively stated within this report was the fact that climate change and human activities affecting global warming was in fact a reality.
Fact No. 1- A rise in 1.1 degrees Celsius can result in extreme weather changes around the world. Amongst these impacts include: floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, wildfires, droughts and winter storms, according to the IPCC.
Fact No.2 – In the year 2019, the planetary temperature relative to the temperature within the pre-industrial period was 1.1 degrees Celsius.
Fact No. 3 – 2019 was a year with a grave number of retreating icebergs, high sea levels and high global heat as a result of human activates and increasing degrees of greenhouse gasses.
Fact No.4 – For more then 20 days within a year, 30% of the population of the world is exposed to lethal heat waves.
Fact No.5 – The average temperature recorded during the years 2010-2019 were the highest recorded.
Fact No. 6 – The second most hottest year was 2019
Fact No.7 – 59.1 gigatonnes of Carbon Dioxide and other gasses were released within the Earth’s atmosphere which marks the new highest record. This was the record for 2019 and it included forestry changes along with green house gasses that were emitted in the year.
Fact No.8 – The recovery from COVID19 may increase the number of emissions to a newest high in 2030.
What can be done
There is a need to reduce emissions so that the temperature can remain below 1.5 degrees Celsius, the percentage by which these emissions need to be reduced by is 7.6% as reported by the Emissions Gap Report of 2019.
According to this report, it falls within the responsibility of the government to decrease their emissions by 3.3% annually however this goal has failed to be reached every year.
According IPCC, if there is a cut in methane, it can assist in decreasing global warming to 1.5-2 degrees Celsius, as 75% of emissions that are methane could be replaced or cut down by the technology available in this modern age.
Conservation and restoration of of natural spaces, both in land and water can also assist in this cause. This provides for being one solution to reducing the level and amount of carbon emissions each year.
Tacking into consideration the fact that more then half of the GDP made by countries is directly dependent on nature, a greater investment in nature friendly will not only result in fighting climate change but will also promise revenue equivalent to 4 trillion US dollars for enterprises and will also encourage new jobs within countries.
Furthermore, a green pandemic recovery for countries can result in cutting down emissions by 25% for the year 2030 which will ensure the world maintains its temperature and does not go beyond 2 degrees Celsius.
The initial agreements and promises made within the Paris Peace Agreement of 2015 stand as being no longer sufficient to tackle the ongoing crisis of climate change that is expected to be faced in the upcoming future. To act upon the goal of not having planetary measure exceed beyond the mark of 2 degrees Celsius, governments must review their commitments and their actions and keep the objectives that were agreed upon in the Paris Peace Agreement as their key goals. Specifically, they are expected to act upon the new objectives highlighted and outlined within the recent COP26 meeting and are dually expected to meet their pledges.
If countries agree to act upon the agreements and pledges made within this recent meeting in the next 5 years, the temperature will jump to a staggering 15.5 degrees Celsius, which will result in something that will be completely out of reach for humans to fix. This rise in temperature will thus result in threatening human existence, as food, economies and livelihoods around the world are gravely affected.
