Climate change is an issue not defined by geographical borders, that has caused increasing problems for many countries across the world. Therefore it is within the role the United Nations to put forward global policy. 2019 was the second warmest year ever recorded, and the past decade 2010-2019 is the warmest decade ever. The world is experiencing the disruption of climate change through livelihoods and economies. We are seeing a steady progression in the magnitude of severe hazardous weather, particularly through global warming, and now more than ever is the time to act and strengthen the global response to this.
The Paris Agreement was established in 2015, and effectively aimed to help countries deal with climate impacts through an advanced framework. It was a huge landmark in international agreement to involve nearly all countries in a commitment to fight against climate change. Its central aim was to pursue efforts to limit a further temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It also hopes to make it easier for countries to deal with the impacts, by putting in place a new technological framework and providing financial resources. This is specifically for lower income countries to support them and work for further action. It requires every country to give their best effort to achieving these aims and taking part in a progress assessment every five years to inform further action.
Over the next decade, greenhouse gas emissions need to fall by 7.6% each year if we want the world to stay on track of limiting temperature rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Although many technological advancements have already been made to reach this goal, G20 nations are still responsible for approximately 78% of emissions. If motivation is needed for us to all put in our individual effort, the health benefits are very significant. Exposure to air pollution causes 7 million deaths per year and meeting the goals of the Paris agreement could potentially save up to a million lives each year by 2050 just through reducing the global levels of air pollution.
Overall, adaption and mitigation will be the best strategies going forward, especially in conjunction with each other, in order to manage the risks of climate change. There have been several projects recently to attempt to implement these structures such as geothermal energy plants and initiatives for the increased planting of trees in Britain. Another partial solution to be looked at is the management of vegetation eg. forests and the ecosystem that they provide. It is important to set realistic goals, for example the complete maintenance of an ecosystem is not feasible at this stage in the damage, but we can work to preserve it as best as possible by preventing wildfires that are destroying lives and communities. Although this change will be far more costly, it is important to remember that this is an investment into the future of our planet, and if we do not spend money on our planet now, there will be no planet left in the future for us to live on.
Who’s Future? Our Future.
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