AS nation states assert sovereignty and divide territories, they should urgently unite not to win war and alliances against each other but to ensure that the land, seas and skies they are fighting and killing for will still be a habitable space in time. Some countries are waging wars against each other when the real and common enemy is climate change. States at war and their allies are burning their economies to destroy lives and development rather than contributing to the ecology and humanity that they are collectively bound to protect.
In the words of James Hansen, the former director of NASA, “the science is clear: climate change is real, it is happening now, and it is caused by human activities.”
The real face of destruction
When the global temperature continues to rise, at the rate of 5 degrees Celsius since industrialization, the Earth will not be inhabitable within a few centuries. And we are racing against time. At the end of the century, the “hothouse” state will melt glaciers and ice to raise sea levels by one meter, indurating coastal areas that will displace millions, challenge the adaptation of many plant and animal species feared to be extinct, and affect the most vulnerable — the world’s poorest.
There are already droughts, floods, heat waves, wild fires, and food shortages as the loss of diverse biodiversity affects the ecological chain. Even the supply of the most basic water is beginning to be scarce. The Earth will become too hot for life to exist, and the oceans will become too acidic for its ecosystem to thrive. Security will suffer as hunger and inequality ensues.
We may not be young enough to see the worst but our children’s children may witness the mass extinction. And our inaction is more expensive.
Homo sapiens need not be homo deus (god) to understand that humanity has what it needs to mitigate climate change. Thanks to science, but the hegemons must take the leadership and shift their agenda and alliances to what matters most to humanity.
Resources wasted to war
The Iraq War cost the US an estimated $2.4 trillion from 2003 to 2011. The cost of the Ukraine-Russia war is staggering and still being tallied, with estimates ranging from $750 billion to $5 trillion. The cost of war is estimated to be up to $460 billion in lost economic output (World Bank). The war could reduce Ukraine’s GDP by up to 45 percent (International Monetary Fund). The current conflict is costing the Israeli economy around $260 million every single day (Bloomberg).
Wars are complex and devastating conflicts, and it is difficult to predict how they will ultimately end. However, the economic and humanitarian costs of the wars are already confirmed and immense, and they are likely to continue to grow in the months and years to come.
To put it simply, the current costs of the Russia-Ukraine war could have covered the cost of feeding malnourished children in the world for at least six years. The useless US-Iraq war could have fed all malnourished children of the world for eight years.
Costs of reforestation
Reforestation is a natural climate solution that can help to mitigate climate change by removing 2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year (Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations, 2011). It is a cost-effective and natural way that provides other benefits, such as improved water quality, soil health, and biodiversity. Reforestation can provide a number of economic benefits, such as timber production, carbon sequestration, and improved watershed management (World Resources Institute, 2014).
The cost of reforestation varies widely depending on many factors. However, the study finds that the average cost of reforestation is around $1,000 per hectare (Croitoru and Sarraf, 2010). Another study indicated a range from $100 to $5,000 per hectare (WRI, 2014) but recommends that the cost of reforestation can be significantly reduced by using direct seeding or natural regeneration techniques. The State of Forests 2020 by WRI notes that the cost of reforestation is declining due to advances in technology and the availability of cheaper seedlings.
By investing in reforestation, we can help to protect the environment and create a more sustainable future. There are a number of ways to reduce the cost of reforestation, such as using direct seeding or natural regeneration techniques, involving local communities in the reforestation process, and using funding from government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector.
What if each living human on this planet plants a tree?
The cost of inaction is more expensive
Repairing the damage caused by climate change will be a costly undertaking, but it is an essential investment in the future of our planet. But the cost of inaction is worse.
The global costs of inaction on climate change could reach $2.5 trillion per year by 2030 and $7.2 trillion by 2050 (Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, 2015). Another study estimated that the global costs of climate change could reach $26 trillion per year by the end of the century (Nature Climate Change Journal, 2018).
Delaying action will only make the problem worse and more expensive to address in the long run.
Cost-effective mitigation and adaptation measures are available to reduce the impacts of climate change. These measures include: transitioning to renewable energy sources; improving energy efficiency; protecting forests and other natural carbon sinks; investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, and more.
The growing consensus among economists is that investing in climate action is a good economic investment. And the good news is that the cost of renewable energy is falling rapidly. Solar and wind power are now cheaper than coal in many parts of the world.
Alliances of nations against climate change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned that we have a small window of opportunity to avoid the worst effects of climate change. We need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. With concerted global action, we can mitigate the impacts of climate change and create a more sustainable future for all.
Shout out to the countries with the highest climate mitigation spending in 2021 according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and these includes: the United States ($143 billion); China ($140 billion); European Union ($132 billion); India ($77 billion); (Japan: $75 billion); Germany ($68 billion); France ($65 billion); United Kingdom ($55 billion); South Korea ($44 billion); and Canada ($36 billion). These countries account for over 70 percent of global climate mitigation spending.
But note that, according to the Climate Action Tracker and IEA, the following countries are the top five contributors to climate change in terms of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 and the list includes China (which accounts for about 28 percent of global emissions); United States (14 percent of global emissions); India (7 percent of global emissions); Russia (5 percent of global emissions); and Japan (3 percent of global emissions). There is a Global Carbon Atlas that provides up-to-date estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from around the world.
But note that, according to the Climate Action Tracker and IEA, the following countries are the top five contributors to climate change in terms of total greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 and the list includes China (which accounts for about 28 percent of global emissions); United States (14 percent of global emissions); India (7 percent of global emissions); Russia (5 percent of global emissions); and Japan (3 percent of global emissions). There is a Global Carbon Atlas that provides up-to-date estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from around the world.
The top 10 countries that are actively engaged in climate change mitigating actions are Sweden, Denmark, France, Portugal, New Zealand, Chile, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Morocco and Uruguay. These countries are setting a positive example for other countries to follow.
We are the world
From the traditional media that give so much airtime to the bad news of the war to our daily lives that neglect the major threats of climate change, we fail to take collective action to engage and influence others. We spend so much time protecting our political camps but never talk about making changes in our lifestyle to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and our carbon footprints by simply driving less, eating less meat, and using less energy at home. We have not pressured our governments to invest in renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power. We have not involved ourselves in climate activism to raise awareness about the issue by talking to our friends, family, and community members.
Together, we can make a difference. We are the world! Have we forgotten that we are stewards of His creations?
Title: EARTH DIES BEFORE THE WARS OF THE HEGEMONS ARE EVEN OVER
Source: The Manila Times
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