STOP PLAYING WITH FIRE, TACKLE GLOBAL WARMING

Climate is one issue that affects each and every individual on earth, besides other living organisms. Taking a callous view on the subject will have a devastating effect on not only the present, but also the future generations. So far, the will to collectively address global warming is visibly lacking. Status quo cannot be an answer. Heat-trapping carbon dioxide (CO2) gas in the atmosphere is responsible for rising global temperatures. Just three days ago, a report released by the United Nations Environment Programme indicated that global CO2 emissions rose again during 2017 after a three-year hiatus.

That’s an unambiguous signal for countries to deliver on the historic Paris Agreement to keep global warming below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

The report has clearly noted that nations need to triple their efforts on climate action without further delay, in order to meet the 2°C-rise limit by mid-century. To meet the 1.5°C limit, they would have to quintuple their efforts. A continuation of current trends will likely result in global warming of around 3°C by the end of the century, with continued temperature rises after that.

The UNEP report comes hot on the heels of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on global warming, released in October, which cautioned that emissions had to stop rising now, in order to keep temperature increases below 1.5°C, and reduce the risks for the well-being of the planet and its people.

With only a single degree Celsius of warming so far, the world HAS seen A HUGE upsurge of DEADLY wildires, HEATWAVES AND hurricanes made more destructive by rising seas. On current trends, temperatures are on track to rise roughly 4°C by the century’s end, a scenario that would tear at the fabric of civilisation, as per scientists.

There are more and more indications that the trend is alarming. The last 18 years, save one, are the hottest on record, as per the World Meteorological Organisation. That’s not all. Last week, a US government report said climate change is already hurting the global economy and, without action, will sap hundreds of millions of dollars annually from the US economy by 2100.

When the United Nations kicks off critical negotiations next week on the subject during a two-week conference in Katowice, Poland, known as “COP 24,” world leaders should keep aside unilateral approaches and work sincerely towards an effective and collective solution.

There’s too much at stake for entire humanity. ■■■