Ever saw the photo wherein a polar bear is holding a sign that says, "Wake Up Humans You're Endangered Too"? If not, maybe this photo can ring a bell:
Photo by Alex Garland
According to Admiral Chris Barrie, "human-induced global warming is the greatest threat to human life on the planet. Today's 7.5 billion human beings are already the most predatory species ever existed." What more dire actions can we do to our own planet as we reach 10 billion in population after 30 years? 😩
There is a recent report by Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration Research Director David Spratt and Senior Advisory Board Member Ian Dunlop that talks about the "existential climate-related security risk through a scenario set thirty years into the future."
According to the policy paper, here are the things we can expect as soon as 2050 starts:
- "Sea levels have risen 0.5 meter by 2050, the increase may be 2-3 meters by 2100."
- "35% of the global land area and 55% of the global population, are subject to more than 20 days a year of lethal heat condition, beyond the threshold of human survivability."
- "North America suffers from devastating weather extremes, including wildfires, heatwaves, drought, and inundation."
- "Glacial loss reaches 70% in the Andes."
- "...rainfall in Mexico and central America falls by half. Semi-permanent El Niño conditions prevail."
- Aridification (or the process of drying of a region) "emerges over more than 30% of the world's land surface."
- Desertification (or the process of fertile land becoming a desert) "is severe in southern Africa, the southern Mediterranean, west Asia, the Middle East, inland Australia and across the south-western United States."
- "Water inavailability decreases sharply in the most affected regions at lower altitudes (dry tropics and subtropics), affecting about two billion people worldwide."
- "Agriculture becomes nonviable (or not able to develop, grow, or survive) in the dry subtropics."
Photo from CommonDream.org
What are the impacts of these events?
- The collapse of "a number of ecosystems including the coral reef systems, the Amazon rainforest and in the Artic."
- Food production will not be enough to feed the global population (around 10 billion in 2050). Food prices will also increase at a very high price.
- There will be chronic water shortages in a global scale.
- "...significant sectors of some of the world's populous cities--including Chennai, Mumbai, Jakarta, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Shanghai, Lagos, Bangkok, and Manila are abandoned."
The 2°C of warming will require more than a billion of people to be relocated due to the human body's insurvivability to the rise in temperature. The scope of destruction is beyond how we can imagine, "with a likelihood of human civilisation coming to an end."
The enumerated effects of the climate change are just part of the scenario. We are still unaware what are the other long-term effects climate change can bring upon humanity. No matter what the gravity is or will be, mankind will not be able to withstand "hothouse Earth" scenario.
How can we avoid such probable scenario? There must be a "massive global mobilisation of resources is needed in the coming decade to build a zero-emissions industrial system and set in train the restoration of safe climate". This said solution is addressed to every government of the world.
Photo from Instagram.com/nswgreens
As individuals, how can we help? In our own little ways we can help save the planet. Such ways are:
- Reduce your carbon footprint
- Walk instead of taking a cab or booking an Uber
- Go for eco-friendly sustainable products
- Avoid using single-use plastics
- Reduce your use of non-biodegradable products
Make a decision to start your eco-friendly life and help in saving the planet before it's too late.
