A Difficult Wednesday: The Climate Change Reality is Here

I'm finding it challenging to write a Happy Wednesday column this week due to the United Nations report released on Monday, August 9, 2021. This was the Sixth Climate Change Assessment Report, using the most up-to-date technologies, to evaluate the impact climate change is having on our planet - and it indicated things are worse than we thought.

The scientific report concluded that humans have already heated the planet by roughly 2 degrees (F), mainly by burning fossil fuels and coal. Further, the scientists determined that even if nations sharply reduced their daily emissions of greenhouse gasses quickly, global warming is still likely to rise close to 3 degrees (F)

Just one degree of atmospheric warming translates into hotter weather for the entire planet. And it's not just warmer air that's the problem. Warmer air can cause droughts to be more extreme, turn rains into deluges, and cause "once in a decade" tornados and other weather events to be more common.

The report was approved by 195 governments and was based on more than 14,000 studies. It will be officially released later this year. 

However, we didn't even need this report to know what's happening. We are now having the second-worst wildfire in California after a succession of massive wildfires over the last few years. Turkey and Greece are also experiencing severe wildfires, the likes that have never been seen before.

A small town in Germany was virtually destroyed by floods. One German newspaper called it probably the biggest natural disaster that North Rhine-Westphalia has had since the Federal Republic of Germany came into existence. And the toll on human life, animals, and vegetation is expected to grow dramatically.

“We can expect a significant jump in extreme weather over the next 20 or 30 years," says Piers Forster, a climate scientist at the University of Leeds and one of the hundreds of international experts who helped draft the report. "Things are unfortunately likely to get worse than they are today."

Not All is Lost

The report did have some hopeful news – if we act quickly and dramatically. It said that coordinated efforts are needed among countries around the globe to stop adding more carbon dioxide into the air. If we do this, global warming could possibly level off at about where it is today.

While China is reopening shuttered coal mines and is now constructing coal-powered utility plants throughout the country, in the U.S., I'm proud to say, we are using the fewest fossil fuels in nearly 30 years. Sure, the pandemic played a role in making this happen, but we were going in this direction even before COVID-19.

So, what can each of us do to help slow climate change? Here are some thoughts:

·      Find ways to get around without your car.

·      If purchasing a new car, make it a hybrid or an electric vehicle.

·      If you own stock in a carbon producing company, urge them to become Greener and more sustainable. It worked at Exxon; it should be able to work at other companies.

·      If you own your own home, consider installing solar panels. There are variety of financial options now available making this much easier and less expensive to do.

·      Change your diet. The meat and dairy sector are two of the most important contributors to climate change. Avoid meat and dairy products.

·      Try giving up flying. Take the train, its less expensive and healthier for the environment.

·      Join and give to organizations dedicated to protecting the planet.

·      Check out this home carbon calculator to determine your families carbon footprint. Create a benchmark, and then look for ways to reduce it.

We have a little time left, maybe five years, to make a difference. We must use these five years effectively and resourcefully. Think of using this time as a gift for your kids.

Talk to you soon,

Steve.