Now is the Time for Bold and Unprecedented Action

The Paris Accord, Global Risks of Climate Change, and Leonardo DiCaprio UN Speech

The 2015 UN Climate Change Conference was held in Paris, France on November 30th to December 12th. Globally, countries from all around the world, pledged $50 billion in research & development for clean energy. Technology companies like Apple, Facebook, Google, combined, and Microsoft through the Bill Gates Foundation, pledged $150 billion to support climate change projects and innovation. A minimum of $100 billion provision was pledge to developing countries to mitigate the risks of climate change. The Oil companies pledged their support for the Paris Climate deal, investing towards a clean energy infrastructure for future generation living in a 2°C degree world. The World Bank President Jim Yong Kim says, “the world our children inherit is a completely different world than we are living in today.” Other banks, including Bank of America, and HSBC made commitments. This cooperation, led by a coalition of investors, is unprecedented when the world is facing global risks from climate change, in the face of climate change denial.

Prior to this landmark accord in Paris, there was an unprecedented number of world leaders that attended the September 2014 Climate Summit at the UN. The summit included 100 heads of state and government, joined by 800 leaders from business, finance, and civil society. It included the actor Leonardo DiCaprio that gave an impassioned speech about climate change, saying “climate change is not hysteria — it’s a fact.” The award winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio described climate change as a “disaster” that has grown beyond the choices individuals make to one “that needs decisive large-scale action by industries and governments around the world.”

“We need to put a price tag on carbon emissions and eliminate government subsidies for oil, coal, and gas companies. We need to end the free ride that industrial polluters have been given in the name of a free market economy. They do not deserve our tax dollars. They deserve our scrutiny for the economy itself will die if our ecosystem collapse. The good news is that renewable energy is not only achievable but good economic policy.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka6_3TJcCkA

At the 2014 Climate Summit, governments, business, and civil society long term convergence agreed to define climate change as the most important issue of our time and that bold action is needed today to reduce emissions and build resilience, and those leaders in both business and government would lead this effort. They announced their intent to mobilize $200 billion for financing low-carbon and climate-resilient development. New Coalitions agreed to mobilize sufficient public and private funds for low carbon climate resilient growth essential to keep the world within less than 2° degree Celsius pathway.

Driven largely by economic and population growth, human influence on the climate system is clear and recent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history, warming the atmosphere and the ocean. Since the mid-19th Century, the sea level has risen at a much larger rate than during the previous two millennia, and oceanic uptake of CO2 has resulted in acidification of the ocean. As result, the ocean is warming and never seen before sea life, deep water sea creatures, are washing up on the shores of continents around the world.

Since the 1950s, many observed warming of the climate is unprecedented over the decades causing irreversible impacts on human and natural systems around the world. There might be this attitude that the damage is irreversible and nothing can be done about it, but something could be done to mitigate the worst consequential effects of climate change risks.

Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions increased since the pre-industrial era. This led to atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide that are unprecedented in past 800,000 years. Their effects, together with anthropogenic drivers, have been detected through the climate system and are extremely likely to have been the dominant cause of the observed warming since the mid-20th Century. It is very likely the earth will continue warming and sea level to rise over the 21st Century.

Limiting climate change risks would require substantial and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions along with adaptation to mitigate the global risks. The global risks are a greater disadvantage for people and communities in developing countries at all development levels. Climate change is projected to increase displacement of people. Populations that lack the resources for planned migration experience higher exposure to extreme weather events, particularly in developing countries with low income; as a result, increasing violent conflicts over resources.

The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on Climate Change released in 2007 revealed there will be a decrease in water availability due to climate change, disappearing coral reefs, negative impact of subsistence farmers and fishers, coastal flooding from rising sea levels, and increased morbidity and mortality rates (due to heat waves, floods, droughts, and change in the distribution of disease). The report recommended adaptation measures to reduce the adverse impacts of projected climate change. Key vulnerabilities may be associated with the climate system, including food supply, infrastructure, health, water resources, coastlines, ecosystem, earth cycles (cooling and warming), and oceanic and atmospheric circulation. The impacts of climate change are very likely to impose net annual costs worth billions per year in environmental damages.

• Fact 1) Warming of the climate since the 1950s is unprecedented. The atmosphere and ocean are warming. The amount of snow and ice has diminished. Sea levels are rising. CO2 levels in the atmosphere are higher than they have ever been before, not necessarily due to population growth (that has remained relatively the same) but due to the growth in economic activity. Human influence on the climate system is clear. We need substantial reduction in greenhouse gases.
• Fact 2) Climate change impacts have occurred across the world affecting ecosystems, human health, fresh water resources, and agriculture. The impacts tell us there are significant lack of adaptation and mitigation of risks associated with climate change. Those people marginalized by society due to inequality are the most vulnerable to climate change risks and lack access to resources and stake in decision-making processes.

There are more in economic costs due to inaction than there are costs due to taking necessary action against the worst effects of climate change risks. We need scaling of sustainable technology and institutions involved in cooperation across all sectors to mitigate the risks of climate change. It comes down to a matter of choice. We either continue on the path that we are on and face catastrophic consequences OR we listen to the voice of reason and act accordingly. The actor Leonardo DiCaprio again gave his impassioned speech during his well-deserved 2016 Oscar win as a constant reminder that “now is the time for bold and unprecedented action.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOoP56eXtzM