From Trump’s comical and absurd claims of wind turbines as cancer-causing agents and winter tweets asking for global warming to an extremely dissatisfied Astronaut Edgar saying “from out there on the moon international politics looks so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter-million miles away out there and say look at that, you son of a b****”, I always end up baffled about climate change and realize not only the monumental challenge but also really complex politics, law-making controversies, complex math, and tons of enmeshed arguments, theories underneath the topic. Let’s make it a bit easier to understand.
Is it a hoax or reality?
Understanding the current scenario:
In 2015, 197 countries came together in Paris and agreed to pursue efforts to limit temperature rise to 1.5 Celsius.
This target wasn’t enough because the condition is too dire, it is likely that by the end of the century, the global mean temperature will rise above the pre-industrial level and sea levels predicted to be 24-30 cm by 2065 and 40-63cm by 2100.
A climate action tracker noticed that these emissions are still rising and have already warmed the globe by 1.1 Celsius.
This makes it clear that the countries have not set targets ambitious enough to attain the Paris agreement. Even if every country hits its target, the temperature will still rise by more than 2 Celsius over the next 70 years and will continue rising in the 22nd century and beyond.
Most aspects of irreversible climate change will persist for many centuries, even if the emissions are stopped. The whole ecosystem may be on the threshold of dramatic changes now.
What’s the stance of our leaders?
Sadly, the main factor deciding whether it is a real problem or not has nothing to do with science or even how smart we are, but simply where we fall on the political spectrum.
It’s disheartening - even knowing the adverse effects of climate change and the facts, our institutions are fundamentally flawed and incompatible with climate action.
The buzz broke upon pundit theories about “the earth is going through an ice age, it’s a natural phenomenon” and misleading opinions to whitewash the dark and dire effects of climate change. Debates developed upon ideas like “whether it was a real crisis and are humans responsible?”, instead of thinking about how to respond.
What can we do at the ground level?
● Reduce meat consumption - its production emits more carbon and gives fewer calories: Have meat-free Mondays, explore the cuisine book.
● Less private vehicle use – Search around, find near residing colleagues, and create the best office ride combos - with Ariana on the radio.
● Cut off plastic - Search for more biodegradable products and remove this supervillain off the play.
Writer -Nikhil Gajbhiya
Editor - Avani
Graphics - Jhem Picache and Thea Sinsin
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