CLIMATE CHANGE EMERGENCY AND GLOBAL RESPONSE

Climate change, in immediate future, will be an inevitable national security threat; less to the developed economies, much to the developing ones. Although debate on the subject has been overwhelming, yet the implementation of emission-reduction policies in the developed countries that contribute to the worst of climate change more than what they have been committed to under the international conventions, especially the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and 2015 Paris Climate Accord, remains a big question. As a matter of fact, establishment of these conventions demonstrates the seriousness of countries towards gravity of the issue, but what prevents their response, in true sense, towards dealing with it is the deluge of present-day economic benefits that outweigh the future implications of climate change.

Climate change is an epoch-making, 21st-century phenomenon that poses a grave threat to all beings living on Earth. It is generally believed that with the deterioration of climate, the Earth is at stake; on the contrary, however, the fact is that the planet has undergone huge climatic changes many times before, in some cases, leading even to mass extinction. But the process of evolution did not stop, it continued. And, after hundreds of thousands of years, human species did yield the rudimentary, useful sources for the continuation of its survival. Then, the birth of the civilization took place. Precisely, if the situation of climate change deteriorates into a mass disaster, it is the entirety of living beings that is in danger.

Now that the human population has greatly increased and that the technology has made huge advances in all realms, making most of the technology has sped up so as to cater for human desires. A steep decline in the realms of farming and plantation has been noticed and the process of cutting trees, levels of environmental pollution, dumping of perilous and stinking waste, production of fossil fuel and transmission of CO2 emissions have soared to new heights, culminating in climate change which is detrimental to the survival of the living beings. The worse the climate change, the more likely are chances for human and animal life to endure its deleterious and injurious impacts.

Referring to the staggering loss of Earth’s biodiversity in the face of increasing deforestation and agricultural expansion, the director general of WWF International, Mr Marco Lambertini, has recently remarked, “In 2016, we documented a 60 percent decline … [a]ll this is in the blink of an eye compared to the millions of years that many species have been living on the planet.” Moreover, WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020 has reported that the number of birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians has declined by almost seventy percent since 1970.

These statistics portend the dark future of wildlife, and are too alarming to spark a global, concerted response to deal with the emergency threat posed by contributors to climate change.

In addition, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Earth has been suffering record heat waves for some recent years; 2016 being the hottest year, followed by 2019. Emission rate of CO2 has increased over the years, given the fact that the countries that have been signatory to varied commitments to reduce it to a sustainable level have not taken serious initiatives to cut down on the production rate of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Being the largest producer of the GHGs and the biggest consumer of coal, China has not come up with climate change containment strategies so far; rather it is financing the construction of coal-fired power plants around the world.

In December 2019, expressing feelings of regret and remorse over the role of world leaders in facing up to climate change, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, while talking on the sidelines of the International Climate Conference in Madrid, said, “The point of no return is no longer over the horizon. It is in sight and hurtling toward us.”

The threat of global warming in the face of insignificant response of most countries can be seen in exasperation of the UN chief on various other occasions. A short analysis on his words that the world has scientific knowledge and technical means to limit global warming, but “what is lacking is political will,” helps us assimilate the fact that the developed economies are reluctant in combatting the catastrophic threat of climate change.

It is high time the world leaders acted responsibly for collective action towards curbing global warming to achieve any fruitful results. Slashing GHG emission rate today for the survival of living beings tomorrow has been made mandatory on the part of many countries. According to a report entitled “Emissions Gap Report 2019,” by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), manmade global emissions increased in 2018 to 55.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide and that they need to go down at a rate of 7.6% each year and total 55% by 2030. Experts suggest that deadly repercussions caused by global warming in the coming decades are in the offing, if countries keep on shirking their responsibility to take action in accordance with the recommended statistics for global emissions reduction.

“We are sleepwalking toward climate catastrophe and need to wake up and take urgent action,” warns Alden Meyer, an expert on international and domestic climate change policy. As impacts of climate change in the form of extreme weather patterns, such as floods and heat waves, have already been wreaking havoc on the socioeconomic life of people and inflicting mammoth losses in men and money on countries; it is yet to be ascertained to what extent they would exacerbate. Record-breaking rainfall spells and floods in Asia and South America, and experience of Australia with its driest year can draw huge attention to the future implications of climate change.

Despite the Kyoto Protocol having been a failure as the US couldn’t measure up to its commitment of reducing emissions rate by 5% less than 1990 levels and decided to withdraw from the Protocol in view of its staggering economic loss, it is an undeniable fact that it paved the way for research into changing weather patterns and climate change agents, devising of climate change policies, and concentration of global awareness on cutting down on the GHG emissions and protecting living beings from climate change calamity that is looming large.

Positive manifestation of it can be seen through the commitment of certain countries that have taken holistic measures to cope with the looming catastrophe. Norway is the first country to commit to zero deforestation. Moreover, electricity production of the country is predominantly from renewables; 96 percent from hydropower and 2 percent from wind farms Norway is the leading producer of electric cars. Similarly, Morocco’s National Energy Strategy that generates 35 percent of its electricity, at present, from renewables calls for the 42 percent generation by 2020, and 52 percent by 2030.

Additionally, Gambia, a small country in West Africa, has launched a large project to restore 10,000 hectares of mangrove forests and savannas. In South Asia, India invests more in renewables than in fossil fuels. Although it has committed to a goal of generating 40 percent of its power through renewables by 2030, yet it can be concluded through its progress that it could reach the target earlier. China, too, has certain accomplishments lately, one such being the largest solar technology manufacturing facility in the world.

Similarly, Singapore and several other countries have banned the plastic-production industries and discouraged the use of plastic, burning of which contributes to global warming. Youth’s response in this regard likewise has been significantly remarkable, as they have been successful, to a greater extent, in attracting world’s attention to its agonizing and lethal repercussions and—to a little extent—in persuading countries to limit the production of GHGs.  Seeing the concern and efforts of youth being afraid of hazardous impacts emanating from global warming on current and future generations should galvanize the world leaders into all-out action against the emergency of climate change.

 

The writer is a student at

Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU), Khairpur