A Common Action For A Sustainable Future

Altering seasons, increasingly drought winters, floods, melting glaciers, rising water levels… The humankind is facing the threats brought by modernization and development. It is reported that the number of meteorological disasters recorded in the 2000s are three times that of those in the 1960s. The main reason for this increase are global warming and climate change, which have been mentioned frequently in recent years. The success in fighting against this negative change does not only make possible controlling greenhouse gases, but individual and international common action plans must be carried into effect as quickly as possible.

Scientists point out that the main reason for climate change is the need for high amounts of energy caused by mechanisation, modernization of production, population increase and urbanization, which are the outcomes of industrial revolution. This energy is mostly acquired from fossil resources such as coal and petrol, which in turn causes environmental destruction and alters the atmospheric composition.

Climate change is defined as “artificial altering the climate outside the range of its inherent variability by pushing ecological limits with human activities”. This is currently among the biggest threats facing the world we live in. Global warming is defined as the overall increase in temperatures measured on land, sea and in the air due to greenhouse gases, which is believed to be the outcomes of gases emitted into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases do not prevent sun beams from reaching the earth, but they prevent disposal of the accumulated heat, therefore prevent cooldown. This causes a natural greenhouse gas effect in the atmosphere, but an exaggerated one when greenhouses gases increase over tolerable levels, leading to storage of more than necessary heat. These all lead to global warming.

It is reported that since 1850, when regular measurements started to be taken, the global temperature increased by 0.76°C. In an international scientific meeting organized by the UN, it was declared that unless competent measures are taken, the average temperature will rise this year by 1.8 – 4.0°C, possibly to 6.4°C.

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C and the urgency of this

On the other hand, the scientific report published by IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, highlights the urgency of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. In their remarks on the report, which was published in 2018 with approval from 195 countries, WWF’s Climate Change Principal Consultant Dr. Stephen Cornelius states “The commitment made by these countries in regards to reducing emissions is still insufficient in terms of limiting global warming to 1.5°C”. The World Bank has also released warnings about the social outcomes that the climate change could lead to. It is estimated that as a result of events such as drought, floods, eustacy, reduction in agricultural production and erosion, a total of 143 million people will attempt to leave southern countries and migrate to the northern countries within 30 years.

Saving our future from pollution…

Creating a sustainable world and leaving a habitable ecosystem for new generations are common responsibilities of us, the humankind. The key requirements of using resources efficiently, investing more into renewable energy, ceasing use of fossil fuel and developing sustainable strategies are waiting to be addressed by the governments.