Innledning
On the 8th of October this year, The Guardian posted an article discussing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s newly released report stating we only have 12 years left to limit climate change catastrophe (Watts, 2018). 12 years.
That is 12 years to convince political leaders globally of the acute importance of the issue, find an agreement and compromise to please all of them, construct new and more sustainable ways of living in a consumerist society (Babcicky, 2012), and reverse the otherwise unsustainable habits of the world.
Some would disagree, and either claim climate change is natural, or deny its existence entirely, meaning no solution is needed at all.
But whether you choose to believe one or the other, mother nature is ruthless in her clarity; climate change is a matter of life and death, and we, the younger generation, must act now to limit the consequences.
Utdrag
Because it is a matter of limiting the consequences at this point, as it is evident the consequences themselves already exists.
A recent example would be the California wildfire, named the most destructive wildfire ever recorded in the state (California wildfires, 2018), resulting in 85 deaths and hundreds of people going missing (Cassidy, 2018).
Even here in Norway we have seen clear symptoms of climate change; this past summer was one of the hottest and driest summers ever in our country (Mæland, 2018), causing a drought which in turn caused a “cauliflower-crisis” across all of Europe (ANB-NTB, 2018).
Symptoms are perhaps even more present in Asia; at the end of last month, typhoon Yutu hit the Philippines causing at least 15 deaths (Fonbuena, 2018).
Consequently, when including the rising sea levels, this will cause a huge increase in climate refugees (Environmental migrant, 2018).
In fact, the World Bank report released earlier this year estimates a number of 143 million people be “transformed” into climate refugees due to climate change in the coming years (Parker, 2018).
It seems like, not only is it painfully obvious climate change is happening, but also how morally wrong it would be not to deal with it.
Luckily, the UN agrees. The drafting of the 17 UN sustainable development goals to be reached by 2030 may not be legally binding, but countries all over the world have drafted plans on their own regarding how they best can do their part in fulfilling them (UN, n.d.).
It is in connection to these goals, and specifically goal 13 which aims to stop climate change, that the IPCC’s report mentioned in The Guardian’s article is so important.
The report discusses the feasibility of keeping global warming at a maximum of two degrees Celsius, and ideally at one and a half degree Celsius.
There is no question that reaching a goal of one and a half degree is more challenging, but if we want to ensure a lowered impact on terrestrial, freshwater, and coastal ecosystems and their services to humans, one and a half degree Celsius is where we need to aim.
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