Editorial: Now or never

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. The latest report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change […]

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. 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% 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. The third part of the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC reads like a litany of broken climate promises by nations; both the developed and the developing ones. The earth has already warmed by 1.1ºC above the pre-industrial levels. As this relentless warming continues, the planet will witness frequent and intense extreme weather events, devastating the lives of billions of people across the globe. 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% by 2030, as per the IPCC report. If the world wants to steer clear of dangerous warming, fossil fuels must be phased out fast. The most effective way of making that switch is to generate energy from sustainable sources like wind and solar. As the climate crisis has escalated and cutting carbon emissions has proven difficult, researchers have been increasingly looking at the role of technology in both limiting and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The delay in mitigation plans will severely impact countries like India where millions are living in vulnerable areas. UN scientists have projected distressing scenarios of flooding, food insecurity and health hazards emerging from rising sea levels, depleting groundwater and extreme weather patterns. Along with other developing countries, India finds itself on this precarious precipice largely due to the developed world’s huge contribution to global warming during its industrialisation period.

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