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The world needs a new approach to the environmental crises threatening the health of people and the planet by adopting policies to jointly tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, land degradation and pollution, according to a UN report released on Tuesday.
The authors of the UN Environment Programme’s Quadrennial Global Environment Outlook said these issues are interlinked and require solutions that include increasing spending and financial incentives to move away from fossil fuels, encouraging sustainable agricultural practices, curbing pollution and limiting waste.
“You can’t think about climate change without thinking about biodiversity, land degradation and pollution,” said Bob Watson, one of the lead authors and a former top NASA official. British Climate scientist. “You can’t think about biodiversity loss without thinking about the effects of climate change and pollution.”
“They are all weakening our economy,” Watson said, “exacerbating health and poverty and threatening food and water security and even national security.”
Nearly 300 scientists from 83 countries contributed to this year’s report – described as the most comprehensive global environmental assessment ever – which was released during the UN Environment Assembly. nairobi, kenya,
experts Warns that the world is nearing tipping points of climate change, species and land loss and other harms. But efforts to address those problems have been largely through individual agreements, he said, without substantial progress.
Instead, they advocate an approach that involves every sector of government, the financial sector, industry and citizens, and a circular economy that recognizes that natural resources are finite.
“What we’re saying is that we can become more sustainable, but it will require unprecedented change to transform these systems,” Watson said. “Now it has to be done fast because we are running out of time.”
global tipping point
The report talks about a dire future if the world continues on its current path.
Emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases – primarily from burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil – are set to reach a new high in 2024, despite decades of negotiations between countries to curb emissions.
Ten years ago, nearly 200 countries signed the Paris Agreement with the goal of limiting future temperature rise to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial times to avoid or mitigate the most devastating impacts of climate change. But on the current trajectory, the climate could warm as much as 2.4 degrees Celsius (4 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2100, Watson said.
Scientists say climate change is contributing to extreme weather conditions, including more intense storms, drought, heat and wildfires.
Moreover, climate change is a threat multiplier, meaning it makes things like land degradation, deforestation and biodiversity loss worse, said Katherine Hayhoe, a climate scientist at Texas Tech University and chief scientist at the Nature Conservancy, who was not involved in the report.
“If we don’t fix climate change, we won’t be able to fix these other issues,” Hayhoe said.
Other challenges include: 40% of land area globally is degraded; More than 1 million plant and animal species are facing extinction; And pollution contributes to an estimated 9 million deaths a year.
Scientists acknowledge that taking a comprehensive approach would be costly, but the cost would be far less than the harm that would otherwise occur.
The report said global investments of about $8 trillion each year are needed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and restore biodiversity. But starting in 2050, the economic benefits will exceed the costs, rising to $20 trillion per year by 2070 and $100 trillion per year thereafter.
Nations should also look beyond GDP as a barometer of economic health, Watson said, because it does not measure whether growth is sustainable or recognize its potential pitfalls.
Environmental issues aren’t the only things that are interconnected, Watson said. He also said that governments, non-profits, industry and the financial sector should also ensure that there are incentives and funding for, for example, renewable energy and sustainable agricultural practices.
University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann, who was not involved in the report, welcomed its emphasis on tackling the issues facing governments and society.
Mann said, “We must do what is right, not what is politically expedient.” “The stakes are too high.”
International cooperation falters
Despite the report’s urgent call for action, scientists say – there is no guarantee of international cooperation, especially as the US president donald trump Has refused to participate in many discussions.
Trump, who withdrew America from the Paris Agreement, has called climate change a hoax. He has promoted the use of fossil fuels, revoked permits for renewable energy and abandoned automobile fuel-efficiency standards.
“International action and agreements are becoming harder and harder to achieve,” Watson said, adding that this year’s UN climate conference in Brazil “failed to move in the direction we needed” with strong commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other issues.
Negotiations on a treaty to address plastic pollution in Geneva this summer ended without an agreement, although a UN conference at the beginning of the year made commitments for funding to protect global biodiversity.
Watson said the US did not attend the intergovernmental meeting in Nairobi, but joined the discussion on the final day and “said they did not agree with anything in the report.”
“Some countries may say that if the US is unwilling to act, why should we act?” Watson said.
Still, he believes some countries will move ahead, while others, including the US, may be left behind.
Hayhoe, the Texas Tech scientist, said he’s confident there will be changes because the stakes are becoming so high.
Hayhoe said, “This is not about saving the planet. The planet will continue to orbit the Sun after we leave.” “The question is, will there be a healthy, thriving human society on that planet? And the answer to that question is very much at this point.”
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