Code Red For Humanity: How The Humans Are Inviting Calamity
Code red was declared by UN secretary António Guterres after examining the latest IPCC Climate Report.
Human beings have been dousing the Earth in the red paint of their selfish actions for a long time. While the planet crumbles under the pressure of supporting billions of earthlings, human beings are making sure to accelerate the pace of their demise.
Calamities like droughts, floods, avalanches, and tsunamis have become an indicator of the dark fate that awaits the Earth. Owing to these events, and a thorough observation of the report by the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change, the secretary-general of the UN expressed grave concerns over the future of humanity.
Secretary-General António Guterres alerted the world by saying that, “Today’s IPCC Working Group 1 report is a code red for humanity. The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse‑gas emissions from fossil-fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk. Global heating is affecting every region on Earth, with many of the changes becoming irreversible.”
The threshold for limiting global warming is well below the level of 1.5°C. It is needless to say that the countries are producing greenhouse emissions very close to that limit. Soon, it will bring a drastic shift in the climate, and the world will be facing perilous wildfires, heat strokes, and extreme climate.
António also reprimanded the leaders, inspirational figures, government, and every human being to step up their stance against the preservation of Earth. Words are not enough, and scarce actions are not the answer.
The largest enforcer of these heinous activities are the countries that boast world power. The small countries and secluded tribes take the least part in world domination but they are still the most vulnerable to the repercussions that the hunger for dominance brings.
The IPCC’s latest reports have also mentioned how fossil fuel emissions and pollution have raised the global surface temperature by 1.0°C over the past decade. The top contributors to these notorious figures include heat and electricity production, industry, land use like agriculture, transportation, buildings, and other energy-harnessing activities.
As per the records, the past years have been an invitation to scorching heat and the highest temperatures since 1850. The sea level is also going beyond the viable limit, and if we compare this data to the '90s the image that it will form will be harrowing. The retreating pattern of Arctic ice and glaciers is triggered by the activities of human beings like industrialization. Due to this, the wildlife is also suffering, and their voiceless screams go unheard as the world focuses more on winning this nonsensical race to the top. Soon the glaciers will become a lesson in the history books of future generations.
“The solutions are clear. Inclusive and green economies, prosperity, cleaner air, and better health care are possible for all if we respond to this crisis with solidarity and courage. All nations, especially the G20 and other major emitters, need to join the net-zero emissions coalition and reinforce their commitments with credible, concrete, and enhanced nationally determined contributions and policies before COP26 in Glasgow.”
Statements like these are living proof that we do have the policies in place but nearly not enough sentiments to comply with them. Why? Because we want to showcase our evolving ideas and build towers of concrete while demolishing the trees. Business expansion and hedonistic existence are of more importance than life.
Energy consumption and creation contribute to 25% of greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, a deep cut in carbon emissions is needed or soon countries will be crossing the 1.5°C thresholds and opening the portal to destruction. There is a need to put a stop to the construction of coal plants or humanity will be in the rubble.
If not for the current generation, sacrifices should be made to provide a future for the successors of Earth. It is due to the ignorance of grown-ups that the world is collapsing and young people like Greata Thunberg have to step up to remind us about the responsibility towards Earth.
“You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing.” — Highlight Statement By Greta Thunberg at Climate Action Summit, 2019
This statement is like a death knell that should be answered right now because the need of the hour is a woke world that is aware of the consequences of every step. As such, harnessing coal and other fossil fuels needs to be replaced with renewable energy options. By the year 2030, the production and consumption of solar and wind energy should be maximized, while there should be an emphasis on the exploration of more such alternatives.
António is also worried about the worsening situation of development and safety of protected groups like women. He calls out all nations to allocate 50% of climate finance towards this cause.
We often tend to leave things on paper after deciding on them. Such is the pledge of contributing $100 billion annually for the support of mitigation and adaptation of the developing countries. Locking our resources in the depths won’t help in this situation, only by uniting the forces can humanity win against their whims.
If you take a glimpse around yourself, the struggle is evident in the expanding strain of diseases, pandemics, and natural calamities. The end is glaring right at us, and to retrogress this situation, this “Code Red” is to be taken seriously.
As the secretary-general says, “If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as today’s report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses. I count on Government leaders and all stakeholders to ensure COP26 is a success.”
All the billionaires, leaders, and governments need to put their enmity and political agendas aside, and save lives, before their demise.
