Climate Change: Too Little Too Late?

It has never been a more critical time to confront the issue of climate change. The Earth is becoming warmer due to global warming. NASA has conducted research in this area and concluded that the magnitude of climate change in the following decades would be highly dependent on the amount of heat-trapping gases emitted globally and how sensitive the Earth’s climate would be to those emissions. In the last two years, some areas in the United States of America (USA) have recorded extremely high temperatures. This, coupled with the occurrence of severe droughts, has sparked dreadful wildfires. For instance, Turkey has encountered the most severe wildfires seen in its history. Areas ravaged by the infernos were eight times more than the average during the same time frame. Notwithstanding wildfires, there have been more worrying consequences related to global warming. This includes rising sea levels, the destruction of natural habitats as well as cities. Ultimately, humans will have reduced water supplies, fewer agriculture yields as well as health problems due to the intense heat waves. In fact, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has cited climate as “the single biggest health threat facing humanity”. In light of the circumstances, swift collective action is demanded to mitigate the consequences of this looming threat. However, this is not as easy as it may sound.

Source: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/paris-global-climate-change-agreements

Climate change is a global problem and any solution to this matter would need a collective stance to combat and reduce emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) affirmed in its Climate Report in 2018 that keeping global warming down to a figure of 1.5 degrees Celsius would demand widespread, quick, and revolutionary measures in all sectors of society. At the heart of this issue, countries need to develop and implement strategies to formulate sustainable practices and rigorous measures feasible enough to arrest global warming.  In view of the problem and considerable solution required, the Paris Agreement amassed 196 signatories, legally bound to follow the covenants of the treaty, during the Conference of the Parties (COP) 21 held in 2015. This treaty could be crucial in mitigating the effects of global warming. Firstly, it ensures that there is a combined effort in the fight against climate change as this agreement necessitates signatories to formulate policies to facilitate the reduction of emissions as well as to commit to carbon neutrality targets. For example, Japan and New Zealand have committed to being carbon neutral by 2050. Thus, setting such targets will set a definite timeline for climate control action in the respective nations. Secondly, there is an “Enhanced Transparency Framework” (ETF) for countries to adhere to. This scheme expects parties to this treaty to continually provide a report on the policies implemented, any support provided or taken as well as their progress in reducing their carbon emissions. Thereafter, the information and data can be collected and analysed to determine if the global effort is progressing sufficiently to prevent global warming. If not, additional efforts can be made. Hence, the Paris Agreement seems like the galvanising tool to reduce the impact of climate change. 

Source: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/paris-global-climate-change-agreements

Unfortunately, the data published (see image above), does not indicate a concerted effort nor a dedicated commitment to the objective of the treaty. Fortunately, COP26 is approaching. Fortunately, COP26, held in Glashow in November 2021 will re-examine the ongoing problems, review the progress, and recommit once more to the vision of eradicating the significant amount of emission, as set out in the Paris Agreement. So far, China, as the biggest producer of carbon emissions, has stated it is inclined to reduce its carbon emissions. China has stated that it will withdraw funding from its “Belt and Road” Initiative which is responsible for funding coal-fired power plants both in China and overseas. Meanwhile, the USA has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by half, an extraordinary increase as compared to the target President Obama had set during his presidency. However, President Biden has set himself up for an enormous challenge: without congressional support, it would be almost impossible to implement such drastic and sweeping changes to the country. On a more promising note, other countries have indicated their new targets to reduce carbon emissions in the long run. COP26 will not only be a matter of world leaders reviewing their goals but will also have direct implications for their citizens. From major issues on the use of electric cars to everyday matters like plastic consumption, the participants will be looking at these policies with the aim of reducing their emissions. Eventually, these policies may translate into concrete actions, either in the short-term or long term. The reliance and implementation of the technology would be paramount for innovation and creative solutions as they try and maneuver themselves out of the minefield of emissions. 

Undoubtedly, it does not require an international treaty to recognise the pressing need to enact greener policies. In Singapore, the Land Transport Authority has fixed 2040 as the deadline to phase out internal combustion engines and have all vehicles, including public transportation, run on cleaner forms of energy. Currently, more infrastructure is being built such as the Electric Vehicle charging stations to encourage the locals to turn towards greener alternatives for their automobiles. Similarly, New Zealand has been discovering new ways of reducing its emissions. A significant amount of their emissions, roughly 48%, are derived from their agricultural industry such as farming. One way that New Zealand is attempting to reduce its emissions is to train cows on where and when to urinate. By toilet training cows, and potentially other animals, researchers found that it would be easier to manage their waste and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions too. Hence, countries are looking inward to view their own industries to identify the main causes of potential emissions.

On another front, more popular icons and established figures are raising awareness surrounding global warming as well as the need to act immediately. Over the past three years, Greta Thunberg has been the youth activist to speak out against institutions and governments for their lackadaisical efforts in mitigating climate change. She has proved to be influential and has garnered substantial support, especially to the young. During the “Youth4Climate” summit in Milan, Italy, Thunberg lambasted the governments for not having better control over global warming despite having “30 years” to prevent it. Moreover, she condemned the government’s inaction and stated it was a “betrayal toward all present and future generations”. Although Thunberg’s determination and calls for swift action have been received globally, she has unfortunately not been able to convince leaders of the world to take more concrete steps to minimise global emissions. Until leaders start to take matters with the utmost seriousness and urgency, Thunberg’s words might not be sufficient to solve any problems now. 

In conclusion, there has been some semblance of solutions and acknowledgment that the world needs to formulate greener policies through the treaty. But, those seem like small gestures when confronted with the enormity of the impending consequences. Instead, what the world requires is for our global leaders to take a firm and genuine approach to this existential problem. Advancing greener policies as well as investing in technology and innovation to create environmental solutions are some examples. Nevertheless, the Paris Agreement and COP26 are particularly momentous occasions to call for greater efforts from the global community. However, whether the treaty is effective is another concern altogether. For it to be effective in reality, countries need to understand as well as acknowledge that climate change is a global community effort. Without this, countries are unlikely to actually take substantial measures. From the individual’s perspective, there is a need to start taking more proactive steps to lower our emissions. This could simply be taking public transportation instead of the car. To re-emphasise, significant action needs to be taken expeditiously to mitigate climate change. Otherwise, whatever we do might be too little too late.