The latest report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) sends out a dire warning on the catastrophic consequences of global warming and suggests an action plan to mitigate the suffering. In order to restrict global warming to the threshold level of 1.5°C, the next few years are very critical as the greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 43 percent and methane cut by a third within this decade. Nations, governments, societies, organisations, and even individuals must pull out all stops to ensure changes in policies, infrastructure, and technology that are geared towards securing a liveable future. The lifestyle resulting from enhanced energy efficiency and use of renewable resources and reduced deforestation to capture carbon would have the advantage of enabling an ecosystem of improved health and biodiversity.
Climate scientists have highlighted the fact that, in order to limit global temperatures to under 1.5ºC this century, the emission must halve in this decade. The target to reach net-zero by 2050 has been agreed upon by several nations at the COP26 (Climate Change Conference) summit held in Glasgow last November. And this can be achieved by following a set timeline for the entire world. The global greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 and then drop by at least 43 percent by 2030, as per the IPCC report. The choice is between existence and extinction. It’s a ‘now or never’ situation as humanity faces the unprecedented impact of climate change. Climate action can no longer be put off, nor can the world afford to continue bickering over funding and technology transfers.