“Our climate is our future.”
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
This week, a new climate report hit the street. It’s not fresh data. Instead, it’s a synthesis of reports from the world’s most well-respected climate scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Reading it made me think about our youngest generation, and how their future is in our hands.
There were lots of words and numbers, but what struck me most was one graphic. The way things are going, children born in 2020 will feel significant effects of climate change in their lifetime. This strikes me as sad and deeply unfair. So why aren’t we doing everything we can to give them a better future?
Overwhelmed by problems
I get it, we are facing so many other problems. The list is long and dire: poverty, war, hunger, health, mental health, violence, and racism for starters. On top of that, we all have challenges on the personal level. Any one of these is overwhelming on its own. Climate change may feel less urgent. Maybe it seems like something we can deal with it down the road, when we have less on our plate.
But this visual tells a different story. We are already seeing an increase in disasters around the globe. These tragedies give us a glimpse of what could be ahead. Not only that, but a warming planet makes nearly every other problem worse.
An open window
Right now, we have the power to change the course of climate change, and create a more livable world for our children and grandchildren. The faster we reduce heat-trapping emissions, the better chance we have to prevent the worst outcomes. Each extra fraction of a degree of warming will have a massive effect on future generations. This is not a can we can kick down the road.
The hopeful part
There is good reason for hope. According to the report, “deep, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions would lead to a discernible slowdown in global warming within around two decades”. In other words, if we make the right choices now, things will get better. The warming will stop, then begin to reverse, once we get to net-zero emissions. The trick is to get there before tipping points happen.
The solutions we need are available today. As a society we just need to work faster to implement them. According to the chair of the climate panel, “we are walking when we should be sprinting”. I’m not a runner, but I’m lacing up my shoes.
What can we do?
- Waste less food
- Consider electrifying
- Educate ourselves
- Talk about it
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.