Without trying to sound melodramatic, one day, I asked myself, “Magic mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest country of all?” Then I realised it is a race. And I really mean it.
The Paris Agreement, negotiated by 196 nations in 2015, aims to limit global warming to well below 2oC above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5oC.
Worryingly, as of 2023, Australia has just seven years left to achieve this ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 43% below 2005 levels by 2030.
According to the latest summary report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), limiting warming to 1.5oC will require rapid and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society, including the energy, land, industrial and urban systems.
The report also concluded there is a more than 50% chance that global temperature rise will reach or surpass 1.5oC (2.7oF) between 2021 and 2040.
The consequences of failing to meet this target will be apocalyptic. Sea levels will continue to rise, obliterating more coastal villages.
Further extreme weather events will occur and even greater food and water scarcity will prevail.
Is Greta A Fretter? You Decide For Yourself
I’ve never considered myself an over-opinionated ‘greenie’ eco-warrior who parades the streets vehemently, declaring that the planet is on the brink of extinction.
Neither am I Greta Thunberg. Yes, she is fiery, passionate and outspoken to the point she has been a victim of hate speech, especially from fuddy-duddy misogynists and conspiracy theorists.
No, she has never claimed to be a radical policy-maker or climate expert.
She is merely relaying information that has been around since the last century.
Many sceptics have detracted from her words claiming that she is “too young” or “mentally ill”. The fact is that neither is true. For a start, she has Asperger’s syndrome. Furthermore, she is now 20 years old, so she can hardly be infantilised.
Greta may have started out as a fledgling. That may explain why millions were intimidated by a single teenager who decided to courageously walk out of school and later initiated several epic journeys worldwide for the sake of nearly eight billion people.
Her messages are simple and never intended to be malicious. She is merely reminding non-active global leaders to take heed of the science.
And what messages is she exactly drumming home, you may ask, in the hope that all ecological systems may continue to survive?
Climate Change Crisis: Will You And I Cope?
As one knows, climate change refers to a significant and lasting alteration of temperature and weather patterns. It is primarily due to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and waste on the ground caused by humans, otherwise known as anthropogenic activity.
Now, there is no longer an excuse for not addressing this issue even more seriously, as it will only push the burden onto future generations.
Here are some rather alarming facts and figures to highlight this. And even more importantly, here is what you and I can do in trying to decelerate some of the problems:
- Rising CO2 levels: There is more CO2 in our atmosphere than there has been in over three million years. Since the industrial revolution from around 1760-1820, human activity has driven CO2 concentrations up by 48%. That is from 278 parts per million (ppm) to more than 417 ppm.
As a significant greenhouse gas, this is what is literally slowly melting the planet.
China, the U.S. and India are the three leading culprits due to the burning of fossil fuels.
Solution: Curb your carbon footprint by taking more public transport, buying a bicycle or walking. If you’re brave enough, purchase a skateboard. If you have a car, which I don’t have at present by choice, carpool instead of driving alone. - Renewable energy is key: The United Nations (UN) states that fossil fuels are responsible for 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, switching to renewable energy has several benefits. In 2020, it accounted for 72% of new power capacity installations worldwide. The U.S. alone can generate over 100 times its electricity needs from solar power. Renewable energy also reduces air pollution. The WHO has declared that about 99% of people in the world breathe air that exceeds air quality limits and threatens their health and over 13 million deaths worldwide yearly are due to avoidable environmental causes, including air pollution.
Decarbonising the Earth also creates new job opportunities. The renewable sector already employs over three million workers in the US. The University of Oxford has also stated that transitioning to 80% renewable energy by 2050 could save $US12 trillion in energy costs and reduce CO2 emissions by 80%.
Solution: Sign up for a renewable energy program to power your home if possible. Or, if you have a roof over your head, why not install solar panels? Like I was, you may be worried about the world accumulating e-waste due to its finite shelf life. However, technology has finally made them almost 100% recyclable. Finally, if you’re into gadgets like me, why not treat yourself to a solar-powered bicycle lock, keyboard or power bank?
- Clean water is rare: Conserving water is critical to combating climate change. According to the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA), only 1% of the world’s freshest water is accessible for human use and 40% of the global population is affected by water scarcity.
According to the WHO, 1 in 3 people globally cannot access safe drinking water. The World Bank states that agriculture accounts for 70% of water consumption, while industry and domestic use account for 20% and 10%, respectively. Water conservation can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mitigate the risk of droughts and wildfires and protect aquatic ecosystems.
Solution: Reduce your overall water consumption by fixing leaks, taking shorter showers or installing low-flow fixtures. And if you’re like me, invest in an energy-efficient dishwasher rather than handwashing several times throughout your day and only run it when completely loaded.
- Deforestation indirectly kills you: In just 40 years, a forest area the size of Europe has vanished and half of the world’s rainforests have been destroyed in just one century. Let’s take the Amazon rainforest right now, which is the world’s largest and can fit the UK and Ireland in 17 times. According to satellite data, the size of a football pitch is now being cleared every minute. Forests play a significant role in providing clean air, regulating the water cycle, capturing CO2 and preventing biodiversity loss and soil erosion.
Solution: Have even more plants at home or in your garden like me. Not only are they visually aesthetic, but they also provide you with an essential element that keeps you alive, precious oxygen (O2).
Only use 100% recycled paper and order digital copies of your utility bills, books, magazines and newspapers instead of print versions. - Meat is not only methane: Statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN (FAO) revealed 14.5% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are attributable to livestock farming. This industry not only emits carbon dioxide (CO2) but also methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). Although methane and nitrous oxide do not remain in the atmosphere as long as CO2, their respective climate warming potential is about 25 times (CH4) and 300 times (N2O) higher than that of CO2.
Solution: Like me, consider eating more of a plant-based diet or reducing your meat consumption. There are a plethora of vegan options you can consider for your source of protein. In addition, only support sustainable and ethical farming practices to reduce the environmental impact of meat production. It may seem obvious, but only sourcing locally grown produce reduces your carbon footprint associated with transportation. - We are a tiny drop in the ocean: A study published by The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) revealed humans comprise just 0.01% of all life on Earth but have destroyed 83% of wild mammals. The same organisation later stated that one-third of all plant and animal species could be extinct in 50 years.
Whatever way you do the number-crunching, climate change is most definitely a contributing factor here.
Solution: To help preserve wildlife in the face of climate change, humans can change their behaviour by supporting conservation efforts and advocating for stronger environmental policies. If you aren’t already, disposing of every bit of refuse you produce even more diligently will have a significant change. Organisms on land and in the sea unknowingly feed inorganic waste to their offspring, which has zero nutritional value and will only kill them. - You’re not the only one feeling the heat: According to World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the past eight years were the warmest on record globally according to 6 leading international datasets. It also stated that the “global mean temperature in 2022 was estimated to be about 1.15 [1.02 to 1.28] °C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average.” What are the consequences? The numerous freak weather patterns we hear about, causing floods, droughts, wildfires and cyclones, are becoming more severe and happening more frequently. According to NASA’s GRACE satellite, Antarctica is losing roughly 150 billion tonnes of ice every year, which is roughly equivalent in weight to the rock that makes Mount Everest. So according to Nature Communications, 200 million people will live below the tideline by the end of the century. If that doesn’t kill you first, the WHO has announced “dengue has become one of the fastest growing mosquito-borne diseases in the world. Although one million confirmed cases are reported to the WHO annually, some estimates put the number at over 50 million annually, with about 20,000 deaths yearly.”
Solution: Consume less energy than you have ever before to curtail this. Turn off those lights and electronics when not in use, use energy-efficient appliances and insulate your home to reduce heating and cooling costs. Personally, I’ve ditched my tumble dryer and exclusively use a clothes horse. - Plastic is not fantastic: Most people do not realise that plastics originate from hydrocarbons in fossil fuels. In fact, the plastic industry accounts for about 6% of global oil consumption and is expected to reach 20% by 2050. And as it degrades, it accumulates in the environment and breaks down into microplastics, which are small plastic particles <5mm in length. Transported by wind and ocean currents called gyres, they can absorb and release greenhouse gases thus contributing to climate change by altering the Earth’s reflectivity, also known as albedo. According to UNESCO, about 50-75 trillion pieces of plastic and microplastics in the ocean accumulate in at least 1 of 5 zones, the largest being the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), which lies between Hawaii and the west coast of the U.S. The GPGP is reported to be 1.6 million km2 or three times the size of France. It contains a mass of plastic that is 80,000 tonnes, equivalent to the weight of 500 jumbo jets.
(For further information on microplastics, please refer to my separate publication by clicking here).
Solution: Like any material, it’s all about recycling, repurposing and reusing everything. Use recycled cardboard, glass or even bamboo. I’ve personally started taking my keep cup to a café when I need my caffeine fix. And, of course, make sure to utilise bioplastics wherever possible. These are usually composed of PLA (polylactic acid), typically made from the sugars in corn starch, cassava or sugarcane.
(And yes, I did triple-check, the enclosure and the logic board of my laptop from which I wrote this are made from 100% recycled tin and aluminium). - It’s famine, not feast: According to World Bank, the number of people suffering from food insecurity had increased from 135 million in 2019 to 345 million in 82 countries by June 2022. Though economic shocks, war-torn conflict and supply chain disruptions are the biggest contributors to this problem, natural disasters also destroy lives, crops and livelihoods and undermine a population’s ability to feed itself.
Solution: To help alleviate food poverty globally, support sustainable agriculture practices. Most of all, reduce your food waste. According to the World Food Programme (WPF), one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. This amounts to about 1.3 billion tons annually, worth approximately US$1 trillion. - Scientia est potentia: Try it for yourself and type ‘climate change‘ into your internet search engine. There will be in the order of 1,720,000,000 hits reflecting a massive increase in climate literacy. This refers to the knowledge and understanding of climate change, its causes, impacts and solutions. It encompasses climate change’s scientific, social and economic aspects. It promotes informed decision-making, individual and collective action and policy-making that addresses this ongoing problem.
A climate-literate person like you now understands the basic science of climate change, its impacts on ecosystems, natural resources and human societies and the potential consequences of continued inaction. It is crucial for individuals, policymakers and businesses to promote a transition to a low-carbon economy and create effective policies and regulations.
Solution: Keeping abreast of issues like anything affecting the world on such a monumental level is paramount. And I hope you are a little more aware by reading this. Stay current with news and developments, talk to experts and share your knowledge. There is nil excuse if children are taught about this in schools. You could even start or join a climate action group in person or digitally if you’re as passionate about such an issue as I am.
So, Are You Now Ego-centric Or Eco-centric?
So, do we stop thinking about ourselves and change our behaviour for the sake of those around us? The answer is simple.
Individuals can take this problem into their own hands to ensure we create a more sustainable planet and preserve its beauty and diversity for centuries to come after you and I have expired.
I’ve consciously had to change my mindset and I’m hoping it will continue to have a ripple effect on others.
Now, if you also have a mirror as I do, I invite you to stare at your reflection and ask yourself, “Magic mirror on the wall, am I doing anything at all?”.
And I sincerely hope it doesn’t crack. If it remains intact, perhaps it indicates you’re doing everything you can right now to try and future-proof our planet. Just like it did for me, fortunately.
However, if it does and you’re remotely superstitious, this warning sign may seal your fate and spell seven years of misfortune ahead. It may be a symbol that you, as an individual, can make even more of an effort.
And if I’ve performed my calculations correctly, that lucky (or unlucky) seven eerily coincides with the same year this current environmental race will be over until our next major target that hopes to achieve ‘net-zero’ by 2050.
About the author
Dr Surrinder Singh is a medical doctor, blogger and freelance writer. He is passionate about healthcare, medicine and education and works professionally with B2B and B2C clients.
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