We’re in a race against time.
The world is diminishing as we know it, and its downfall would, though not fully, be at least partially attributable to the most intelligent species on the planet:
Baboons Humans.
I’m talking, of course, about global warming: the worldwide phenomenon that we only truly took seriously aft a certain activist’s speech.
Yet, the question begets;
Is it too late for us to right our wrongs against nature?
The answer, it seems, is dependent on the year 2021.
UN Says 2021 Must Be “Year of Action” to Tackle Climate Change Before Time Runs Outs
According to The Straits Times, the United Nations have called for action against climate change…
And it may need to be done within this year.
Time is running out, they warned.
The revelation came ahead of US President Joe Biden’s climate summit, which will commence on Thursday (22 April 2021).
Forty world leaders will be tuning in to hear Biden out, as he attempts to galvanise efforts to halt the climate threat.
“We are on the verge of the abyss,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a press conference, while referring to the State of the Global Climate 2020 report by the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
“This is truly a pivotal year for humanity’s future. And this report shows we have no time to waste, climate disruption is here,” Guterres said.
He then encouraged countries to “end our war on nature.”
According to the report, 2020 emerged as one of the hottest years in history despite the economic slowdown, which was caused by the pandemic.
Due to the Coronavirus, emissions were temporarily reduced in significance.
And yet even with the ‘lucky break’, Earth still suffered from harsh weather and numerous natural disasters.
2020, for instance, featured “extreme weather and climate disruption, fuelled by anthropogenic climate change, affecting lives, destroying livelihoods and forcing many millions from their homes,” Guterres said.
“This is the year for action. Countries need to commit to net zero emissions by 2050,” he said. “They need to act now to protect people against the disastrous effects of climate change.”
Major Changes
New research published on Monday (5 Apr) has found a drastic decline in the variety of open-water marine species in tropical seas across the last forty years, TODAYonline reported.
Examining data collected since 1955 on 48,661 marine species across the world, the study has found that the total number of species in tropical marine zones has been depleted by about half, as sea surface temperatures rose by 0.2°C.
A surprising number of species were also observed beyond the tropics, expanding their range of occurrence in search for cooler, more habitable waters, which Dr Sebastian Ferse, an ecologist not involved in the study, found “quite alarming”.
“In geological history, this has occurred in the blink of an eye,” he told TODAYonline in an interview.
Meanwhile, a little closer to home, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu have announced that the flash floods which occurred last Saturday (17 Apr) are a symptom of climate change.
She added that the flash floods show the need to plan ahead.
“We are getting a lot more intense rainfall – one of the highest in the last 40 years – and we’re seeing such intense rainfall more frequently,” she said.
“We have already been witnessing pattern changes, and we expect to see even wetter and drier patterns going forward.”
“It shows us the importance of planning for climate change and also mitigation,” she added.
Ms Fu also noted that the authorities have had to spend billions of dollars on improving our water infrastructure so as to increase our climate resilience.
Featured Image: DisobeyArt/ Shutterstock.com
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