During the past few years, you have probably seen news related to extreme weather events. “Hottest summer in decades”, “rainiest year in history” and similar sentences are becoming more and more frequent as headlines due to climate changes.
Regarding this issue, UNEP, a UN program, released a report on 09/02 about an alarming statement: global warming is set to cross the “safety limit” of 1,5°C. However, it also points out that we can still take measures to control this temperature rise.
What does the report say?
This report shows that the world will probably fail to keep the average temperature increase below 1,5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. This limit was set at the Paris Agreement, in 2015, and it represents a place in which climate collapse is preventable and reversible.
UNEP evaluates that, under the current conditions, the overrun will reach at least 1,8°C, but it also may surpass 2°C. According to it: “there are no benign scenarios with global temperature rise above this level”.
The alternative is to control global warming from above the limit, which means making the average temperature decrease after it surpasses 1,5°C, and actions must start as soon as possible. This solution may reduce major long-term tragedies, but crossing the line will necessarily result in environmental and human damage.
The Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement is an international treaty on climate change, made during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in 2015. 195 countries adopted it at the time, including Brasil, the EU and more, which makes it a landmark in.
Its goal is to make countries control and reduce greenhouse gases emissions in order to keep temperature rise below 2°C. For that, each nation submits Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), that are climate plans according to their own demands and conditions. These plans must include efforts to clean energy transition and adaptation to climate changes.
In 2025, Donald Trump decided to make the United States leave the pact. Trump believes that such climate agreements “harm the American economy”, and chose to prioritize national demands. The USA is the second largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world.
How is our planet doing so far?
Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, renewable energy investment has tripled and many countries are trying to adapt to sustainable resources. However, the total replacement of fossil fuels remains distant. The last agreement of the latest Climate Conference, COP30, still couldn’t get to a consensus on a transition plan for clean energy, and left the topic aside for another year. But the consequences of delaying this discussion are getting more intense, frequent and dangerous as time goes by. And they are not as simple as “the world might get hotter”, because changing a simple element like temperature can affect the whole planet and its system.
Among these consequences, some have been observed so far: deadly floods, accelerated melting of glaciers, intensification of El Niño (phenomenon that causes atypical warming in the Pacific Ocean) in Asia and America, abnormal temperature peaks in Europe, and deaths of different species of living beings due to heat, pollution and natural disasters. In the long term, climate change could raise sea levels and cause cities, islands, and even countries to disappear, as is the case with Tuvalu, a nation threatened by rising sea levels.
It is also important to note that environmental catastrophe is not equally distributed across the world. Developing countries and vulnerable communities are the ones that feel its effects the most. Regarding natural issues, climate change can decimate entire ecosystems. One of the recurring concerns of scientists is the death of coral reefs, an important part of marine environments.
How can humanity reduce this damage?
The UNEP report says the actions have to work in two areas: reduction of greenhouse gases emissions and collective adaptation to protect communities and ecosystems from climate impacts. Both are interconnected and must advance through all phases, from the 1,8°C scenario to the return to a non-alarming average temperature.
To reduce global warming directly, fossil fuel (petroleum, natural gas and coal) consumption has to decrease and be replaced by renewable sources (solar, biomass, wind, etc.) that don’t pollute the atmosphere. Also, to protect humanity and nature from current problems, there must be policies that guarantee shelter, food, drinkable water and assistance for vulnerable populations. Beyond the human question, species preservation and environmental restoration programs are also important to protect Earth. And the UN supports that countries must collaborate to help each other on their needs.
Such major actions are under the responsibility of world leaders and governments. They have the power and resources to impose policies and change the scenario of their respective nations. As common citizens, we can take some measures that may work if they are done collectively, such as avoiding consumerism by reducing overall purchases and adopting a “repair and reuse” lifestyle, using public transportation and, overall, charging politicians in our countries for environmental-friendly policies
While we wait for these measures, there is still a question: how long will it take for humanity to stop worrying and start working against climate change?
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The article below was edited by Eloá Costa.
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