There is a Climate Emergency Going On, Rapid Response Needed

In an interview with the BBC on 16 January 2020, Sir David Attenborough said, “The moment of crisis has come” and that “we have been putting things off year after year.” He refers to our efforts to tackle climate change (Shukman, 2020).

He cites that bushfires in Australia are caused by increasing temperatures, which are caused by human activity. Scientists also believe climate change is one factor behind the Australian bushfires (Shukman, 2020).

Countries and governments worldwide must respond quickly. Still, some countries, like Brazil and Australia, disappointingly are backing down from their commitments to reduce emissions (McGrath, 2018).

In 2018, the UN climate science panel outlined how to avoid the most dangerous temperature rise in the future—one that exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius. But judging by how things are going now, the world is on track to a 3-degree Celsius temperature rise within this century (McGrath, 2018).

Keeping the temperature rise below 1.5°C within the first half of this century is a daunting task in itself. It could mean rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented changes in society, functions that some governments hesitate to do. Not only will it be a huge challenge, but it is also costly. The IPCC estimates the energy sector’s investment cost to be around $2.4 trillion between 2016 and 2035 (McGrath, 2018).

With costs also come benefits

Dr Stephen Cornelius, a former UK IPCC negotiator, says that significant emissions cuts in the short term will be costly but still cheaper than carbon removal later this century (McGrath, 2018).  Carbon removal is anticipated when mitigation efforts to curb emissions today prove unsuccessful.

McGrath (2018) proposes steps to help us stay below a 1.5° Celsius temperature rise.

1. Global carbon dioxide emissions must decline by 45% from 2010 by 2030.
2. Renewables should provide up to 85% of global electricity by 2050.
3. Coal phased out close to zero.
4. Up to 7 million square km of land will be needed to grow crops for energy.
5. Global net zero emissions by 2050.

Prof Jim Skea says that even if all governments fulfil their Paris Agreement pledges for 2030, it is not good enough. Governments need to start working immediately to keep 1.5 within reach. Kaisa Kosonen of Greenpeace added that this is the moment that we will remember, the year when the turning point happened.

In 2018, the UN climate science panel said emissions from power stations, factories, vehicles, and the agriculture sectors should be almost halved by 2030; instead, emissions are still increasing rather than falling (Shukman, 2020).

Turning the tide on climate change

In November 2020, the UK hosted a COP26 UN summit, which is crucial for governments to toughen their targets for cutting emissions (Shukman, 2020).

The reason is apparent: “We depend upon the natural world for every breath of air we take and every mouthful of food that we eat,” said David Attenborough (Shukman, 2020).

What happens if the temperature rises above 1.5 Celsius?

Scientists believe the world will experience significant and dangerous changes. At 2 degrees of warming, coral reefs will be wiped out, and global sea levels will rise by 4 inches or 10 cm.

A few inches seems small, but keeping the temperature rise at 1.5°C will mean fewer than 10 million will be at risk of flooding.  Other effects would be rising ocean temperatures, acidification of oceans, and difficulty growing crops like rice, maize, and wheat.

Below is a short video by the BBC explaining climate change and how it affects the world.