Time running out to address climate crisis

Geneva - Major new UN reports have found the planet is edging closer to irreversible climate breakdown.

Professor Johan Rockström, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, has warned that collective action among countries is needed to address it.

It’s a really bleak moment says Rockström, who is the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany.

“Not only because of the reports showing that emissions are still rising, so we’re not delivering on either the Paris or Glasgow climate agreements, but we also have so much scientific evidence that we are very, very close to irreversible changes and heading closer to tipping points.”

Three new UN reports showed that emissions are still rising, despite the fact that they need to fall by half by 2030 to meet the Paris agreement target of limiting warming to 1.5Cdeg.

According to the UN’s environmental agency, there is no credible pathway to 1.5C in place. It says a rapid transformation of societies is the only way to limit the worst impacts of the crisis.

Even if current pledges are actioned by 2030, these would lead to a global heating of about 2.5C. According to the UN’s climate agency, this would lead to catastrophic climate breakdown.

Furthermore, the world is unfortunately in a geopolitically unstable state so a collective action is needed at a global level, probably more than ever since the second world war, to keep the planet stable, Rockström says.

“Time is really running out very, very fast. I must say, in my life as a climate scientist, this is a low point. The window for 1.5C is shutting as I speak, so it’s really tough.

Animal agriculture is one of the most environmentally destructive industries, but its impact is frequently ignored by world leaders, the general public, and even some environmentalists.

It’s responsible for at least 14.5 percent  of greenhouse gas emissions. This figure is disputed by some studies, however, with many experts saying it’s much higher.

Cattle farming is responsible for a third of human-caused methane. This greenhouse gas is thought to be 80 times more warming than CO2 in its first 20 years in the atmosphere.

It does, however, have a much shorter half-life meaning cutting it would slow global warming quickly. According to a recent report by the UN, cutting methane is the strongest lever the world has to slow global warming.

Animal agriculture is also a leading cause of deforestation. It’s been responsible for around 91 percent of deforestation in the Amazon, where vast amounts of trees are cut down to make room for farms and animal feed.

According to another UN report, farming is a primary driver of biodiversity loss. Researchers called for urgent reform of food systems to promote plant-heavy diets.