Climate Change in Action

A look at the reality of the climate crisis.

Climate change is the long-term shift in weather patterns and temperatures caused by billions of tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere each year due to human activity. Today, we are at a critical point where every action we take is important to halt the devastating impacts of climate change. The atmosphere is unable to remove the current release rate of CO2 emissions, which is causing the trapping of carbon and the warming of the planet. In 1990, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its first assessment report detailing the state of the climate crisis and this year, they have released their sixth assessment report. The recent report highlights that the impact rate of climate change is increasing at an unprecedented rate and to ensure we stay below a global temperature rise of 1.5℃ before pre-industrialised levels, drastic action must be taken. The 1.5℃ trajectory is seen as a tipping point and if we miss this, the acceleration of climate change would be devastating and cause irreversible damage to our planet. At the current rate of carbon output, it is likely we will see a rise of 2.4℃ by 2050, which is far above safe levels.

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The impact of climate change on weather events.

Hotter temperatures and extreme weather events are the most commonly discussed climate change impacts, as these effects are quickly becoming visible. The heating of the planet is causing frequent heat waves and across this year’s summer in Europe, over 60,000 people died due to heat-related causes. In addition to this, each year we are experiencing more extreme weather events such as the discussed heat waves, flooding, tornadoes, and wildfires. Wildfires across the world this year have claimed hundreds of lives and have displaced hundreds of thousands of people, showcasing the truly horrendous impact of a rapidly changing climate.

The impact of climate change on the natural world.

The impact of climate change on the natural world is vast, and we are already seeing some of its effects today. Due to increasing temperatures; water supplies, vegetation and food sources are becoming more scarce for the animal kingdom, forcing wildlife to find new land outside of their habitats. This is causing a loss in biodiversity levels and a rise in extinction levels, which only gets worse with every degree of warming. The high rise in temperatures is also impacting our oceans as thermal stress increases coral bleaching – driving sea life out of their homes and contributing to higher infectious disease levels. Climate change also threatens forest life as invasive species and insect outbreaks are increasing causing plant and animal populations to find new habitats.

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The impact of climate change on people.

The impacts of climate change causes extreme grief to humans, as such extreme weather events are forcing people into displacement, with a predicted 1.2 billion climate refugees by 2050. Uninhabitable land for humans also means uninhabitable land for animals, and as biodiversity loss increases, so too does the risk of disease, making it likely that we will see more deadly epidemics and pandemics. Additionally, the damage caused to the land from climate change is impacting crops around the globe, and we are beginning to see a scarce supply of nutrient dense foods. The chances of heightened food insecurity are probable, with around 80% of the global population at risk of hunger and poverty due to this.

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Although the climate crisis has already caused immense amounts of damage to people and the planet, we can still halt its impacts by drastically reducing our carbon emissions as quickly as possible. By pursuing a low carbon, closed loop business model and supporting sustainable alternatives – we can stop climate change from worsening