The State of the Climate Crisis Upon Entering a New Decade
Conclusion: Climate Change is Real and We Need to Act NOW!
Taylor Onski, Contributor
Ringing in a new year often means making resolutions to do better. This is an approach we also need to take with the climate crisis.
Sarah Ruiz-Grossman and Lydia O’Connor of Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, highlight various statistics that demonstrate the 2010s defined the severity of the climate crisis:
Arctic Sea Ice Cover Dropped 13% in the 2010s
Floods with a 0.1% chance of happening were made frequent with Hurricane Harvey and various floods around the world
40.5 Billion tons of Carbon Dioxide were pumped into the air in 2019
4/5 of the world’s largest wildfires happened in the 2010s
The 2020s began with a climate crisis reality. Right now, Australia’s wildfires are growing and nearly half a billion of Australian wildlife has died. Lives are being destroyed because society has failed to see the reality of the crisis and ignored activists fighting for the Earth long before the 2010s.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that we only have this decade to tackle the climate crisis. Carbon dioxide is a major factor, and nations need to cut down on CO2 emissions to gain some control on global warming. Jim Skea, co-chair of the IPCC and professor at Imperial College London, states that it is up to governments “to decide whether they can act on it. What we’ve done is said what the world needs to do.”
As grim as these findings are, there is hope.
The United Nations, as well as journalists Chris Mooney and Brady Dennis, highlight solar and wind power generating 50-60% of electricity rather than fossil fuels and coal as one possible solution. Additionally, implementing carbon capture and storage tools in coal and gas production, and creating more energy renewable transportation systems at a higher growth than already projected are tools that can decrease CO2 emissions.
Environmental Activist, David Suzuki, highlights small steps we can take to help fight climate change such as:
Unplug computers, TVs, and Electronics when not in use
Buy local or grow your own food
Take public transit or carpool
Join Climate Movements such as #FridaysforFuture
Vote
Climate action is also taking place at the local level. On September 20th, 2019, people from all walks of life and ages gathered in front of MP Patty Hajdu’s office to partake in Thunder Bay’s climate strike. Here, young children gathered onto a high platform for all to see. Their signs read hand-drawn phrases such as “save the species” and “Sorry I can’t clean my room, I’m busy saving the planet.” Frankly, these young activists, along with Greta Thunberg, Mari Copeny, Autumn Peltier, and Yolian Ogbu, to name a few, are doing more for the ever-expanding climate crisis than those who have the power, privilege, and millions, to help.
“What I see as the biggest threat to climate change is human beings and what my auntie called human negligence. It’s all about making the choice to change and to be part of change and caring for the planet. We have the ability to help Mother Earth before it gets worse, and we need to work together as united nations, as we all need water.”- Autumn Peltier, Water Protector, Chief Water Commissioner for the Anishinabek Nation
