Climate change is set to pass the milestone of 1 degree Celsius of warming since pre-industrial times by the end of 2015, according to scientists at the UK Met Office.
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This year is also set to be the hottest year on record, with temperatures thrashing past records (UK Met Office).
Further, it’s been announced (World Meteorological Office) 2016 will be the year when the concentration of carbon dioxide in the world’s atmosphere goes over 400 ppm due to the continued burning of fossil fuels. Human influence is pushing our modern climate into uncharted territory.
These landmarks come a week ahead of the Paris UN Climate Change Summit, where world leaders will meet in a desperate bid to cut carbon emissions to prevent global temperatures rising more than 2 degrees. But we have already passed the halfway mark.
While a 2-degree rise in global temperature will not be comfortable (we are already feeling the effects of a 1-degree rise), life in a 4-degree world would be something else. Extreme heatwaves, storms, cyclones, flooding, cropland decline, sea level rise etc. are predicted.
Four degrees would make our recent record-breaking, “angry summers” in Australia seem like mild summer weather.
Climate change threatens not just our environment but economic prosperity, poverty eradication and global security.
We therefore need to put pressure on the world’s leaders in Paris to agree on strong targets to prevent catastrophic climate change and its consequences.
On the eve of the conference, people around the world will gather in thousands of locations to push leaders at every level to commit to a climate deal that will deliver a safe climate and support renewable energy. As the French would say, “nous sommes tous unis”.
If you care about climate change, join us in Bicentennial Park, Tamworth, on November 29 at noon. I’m in, are you?
