What is more than just a sobering title to an article is an actual statement made by French President Emmanuel Macron, as he delivered a most compelling speech about climate change at the One Planet Summit earlier this month. A staunch mover in the race against the rapidly worsening environment, Macron stressed on how several countries present at the summit would cease to exist within the next hundred years. Such an idea might seem so farfetched at the moment, but the telling signs are all here, with reports that the Arctic has had its second warmest year to date.
Macron’s valiant attempts to rally the rest of the free world to such a global cause should now be backed up by urgent and realistic action that will do more significant results than just sitting down and discussing numbers and possibilities. Of particular importance is the proliferation of wind and solar energy (like China’s solar panel array), two sustainable sources of energy that can help do a lot to bring down the average temperature rise if implemented in a mass scale.
The challenge, however, is creating more action on the ground in cities where people are most affected and create the most damage. We’re talking flood-prone areas, parts of the world that experience severe deforestation, and the like. It’s clearly not enough to be content with small efforts here and there, especially in cities that are already highly conscious about climate change; the focus should be on bringing these technologies and efforts closer to the people who need the education and the action the most. This includes a special focus on targeting corporate greed over the state of the environment, which should be made illegal the world over and subject to the harshest consequences.
With the United States pulling out of the climate change deals earlier this year, there is more work to be shouldered by everyone else. If we collectively dawdle on things, pretty soon there we won’t be able to control what happens to us and, as Macron states, will be at the mercy of what disasters global warming will have in store for us – and for the future generations.
Sources:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-13/we-are-losing-the-battle-french-president-tells-climate-summit/9254862
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-12-13/artic-program-report-card-2017/9255136