The world is in the midst of a global crisis; a crisis that cannot be avoided unless we take drastic steps now so that the security of future generations can be maintained. We are talking about climate change and global warming, both of which have driven governments, organizations, and common citizens all across the globe to take notice. The increase in greenhouse gas emissions is having a disastrous impact on the planet’s ecology.
To tackle the menace of global warming and climate change, the Paris agreement between multiple nations put up a climate action plan for 2021 has been put in place. The plan envisions a reduction of overall greenhouse gases by 51% by 2030 and is designed to drive us towards the path of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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Stated Goals Under the Climate Action Plan 2021
The stated goals under the Paris agreement are as follows:
- Strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to disasters related to climate
- Integration of climate changes measures in planning and policies
- Building knowledge and capacity to meet climate change
- Implementing the un framework convention on climate change
- Promoting mechanisms to raise capacity for planning and management
There is an increased push by governments to implement these stated goals in a planned manner so that the goals can be met on time. This is because the danger climate change poses to the world is a real one and its effects would be far-reaching politically, socially, culturally, and economically.
How are Climate Change and Global Warming Impacting the Planet?
Polar Ice Caps Are Melting
Polar ice caps, including the ones that have stood for thousands of years, are melting at an accelerated pace. This is leading to a rise in sea levels which brings us to the next devastating effect.
Millions of People Could be Displaced
As the sea level rises, many coastal cities around the world would start submerging underwater leading to a global displacement crisis. And considering the fact, that almost 40% of the entire world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of the coast, that’s a huge number of people who would eventually need to be shifted to higher grounds.
Floods and Droughts
We are already witnessing an increase in the number of droughts and floods all over the world. And the situation is only going to get worse unless we work towards reducing CO2 emissions which is creating a greenhouse effect leading to all kinds of complicated and erratic weather patterns.
Increased Poverty
Millions of people all over the globe live below the poverty line, and the crisis could put millions more into poverty. With more stress being put on natural resources, and produce being impacted by changing weather patterns, it would be hard to house, feed, and generate employment for the people.
Impact on Global Economy
Most of the world depends on imports and exports to sustain its economy and run the country. Climate change can negatively impact agricultural production leading to food shortages as well as dampening the economy of countries dependent on agriculture for sustenance.
As global citizens, everyone from governments to organizations and local communities needs to make changes to their lives so that we can move towards environmental sustainability to reduce the impact of global warming and climate change. Only then, the world would be able to meet the objectives set under the climate action plan within the envisioned timeframe.
So, unless we start now, we might lose the window to reverse the negative impact that our activities have had on the planet!
