Every person on our planet must now have heard of global warming and climate change. And increasingly, will hear about nations failing to meet carbon emission targets and the dire prospects for our planet. Some people will ignore these messages, some will think they are a hoax, some will even think that it’s not as bad as the media say and sadly, most will believe it’s so far in the future, it’s not going to affect them. The truth is we really are on a fast track to causing severe, widespread and irreversible damage that will affect billions of people and changing our planet forever.Yes, there are both natural and human sources of carbon dioxide emissions. The natural sources include decomposition, ocean release and respiration. And our man-made sources come from activities like cement production, deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels including coal, oil and natural gas.The crux of the matter is that we (all 7.6 billion of us) are producing every increasing amounts of carbon dioxide which is in turn responsible for trapping heat in our atmosphere. And, as more heat gets trapped, our planet becomes warmer than it would be naturally (hence the name global warming).So, where does all the carbon dioxide come from? The majority – 87% - comes from burning fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil. Deforestation and / or the cultivation of land releases vast quantities of carbon dioxide, produced by bacteria, into the atmosphere (9%). And some industrial processes such as cement manufacturing also produces significant amounts (4%). Of the 3 types of fossil fuels, coal is responsible for 43% of carbon dioxide emissions, 36% is produced by oil and 20% from natural gas. Almost all industrialized nations get the majority of their electricity from the combustion of fossil fuels (around 60-90%). There are exceptions and many nations have plans to change to 100% renewables. But unfortunately, depending on the energy mix of your local power company you probably will find that the electricity that you use at home and at work has a considerable impact on greenhouse gas emissions. The move to renewables is not happening fast enough.I’ve heard some people say that this is not their problem, that China and India are the real problem countries. That their country does not make a huge impact. This is not the time to start blaming one country over another. We are all in this together. Yes, each country has contributed in different ways and amounts but this is a global problem needing a global solution. Every person on the planet is affected - today, tomorrow, today, next year and every year of their life from this point forward. Our planet is heating up so fast that we no longer talk of a 2ºC (3.6ºF) rise. Rises over 3ºC (5.4ºF) are now expected. And this matters a huge amount. So much so that our fate and the fate of our children and grandchildren lies in what we do in the next few years. If left unchecked with no effort being made to adapt to the changing climate, the continuing increase in carbon dioxide levels will have serious economic and environmental impacts across the planet.We are facing our greatest fight for survival. We could possible hit a rise of 3ºC (5.4ºC) as early as 2050. Most people seem to have little understanding of what this means or think it could somehow be wrong, that they will not be affected. Everyone needs to wake up to what’s already started. More and more of the climate models are showing this result. To put this into perspective, below are a few examples of what this would look like:
Increased sea levels of 25 meters (82 feet), with both poles being certain to melt causing an eventual rise of 50 meters (164 feet). The rapid melt has already started.
Unprecedented heat waves that have the potential to kill tens of thousands of people each year, with the elderly and young babies most at risk.
Farming and food production will be in decline globally and billions of starving people will be on the move from rising sea levels and famine.
Summers will be longer and soaring temperatures will see droughts and massive wildfires across every country, with the potential to create a huge savannah where the Amazon once was. The UK may see temperatures over 45ºC.
Hurricanes will increase in power, and cities in Asia, Australia and south-east of the US will face destruction. Tampa Bay is considered among the most likely places in the United States to be devastated by a massive hurricanes.
Fresh drinking water supplies will decline in some areas by up to 90% as mountain glaciers and rivers start to disappear.
Ecosystems will collapse and a third of all life will face extinction.
The United Nations Environment Program (Unep) has recently warned that the pledges put forward to cut emissions would see temperatures rise by 3C above pre-industrial levels, far above the 2ºC of the Paris Climate Accord and that every country has basically failed on their commitments
How Do We Stop This?
The fact of the matter is we would not need the Paris Climate Accord if every country actually switched wholesale to renewable energy. This would immediately end the combustion of coal, natural gas and oil that creates the vast majority of CO2 emissions. Every one of us has to look at our lifestyle, make changes, vote for the right people, hold companies accountable, ask question and demand the changes that need to be made quickly. Don’t sit back and expect everything to be OK, for this to be solved by the very nations that are currently failing to meet their targets.Think about it.
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