UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE — WAY FORWARD: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION.

Whether you believe in it or not, climate change is happening. For the most part, the impacts of climate change we’ve seen so far are irreversible. “Then what’s the point of doing anything if we’re irreversibly damned?” you may ask. Well, what we’re seeing now is child’s play compared to what the future holds if we stay inactive concerning climate change.

In the words of the American space agency NASA, every little bit of avoided future temperature increases results in less warming that would otherwise persist essentially forever. There is most certainly a lot that needs to be done to save our planet (and ourselves!) from this path of perdition.

One of such urgent steps we need to take is wholesale climate change mitigation. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) defines climate change mitigation as efforts to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases are a major singular cause of climate change. If we would make any headway in the fight against climate change, we need to drastically cut down our emissions.

It has been six years since the Paris Climate Accords were ratified. One of the primary aims of this agreement was to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. Keeping global average temperatures at these levels would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change.

China, the US, the EU, India, and Russia contribute double the emissions the rest of the world produces. These countries must lead the way in reducing emissions and finding new ways to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

The developed nations may be the significant contributors to climate change, but global warming is a worldwide problem. The impacts of global warming won’t spare the developing world. It’s the developing world that is most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In addition to cutting down emissions, developing nations need to be more vocal in pushing the big emitters into action.

Worldwide, nearly 50% of emissions are from transportation and electricity generation. Humans need to move around. Petrol and diesel engines and airplanes take care of this need. But they also contribute immensely to greenhouse emissions as they run on fossil fuels. We need to have efficient public transportation systems that prompt people to use their cars less and policies that encourage bicycle use over short distances.

Most countries also generate electricity by burning fossil fuels to power turbines that produce electricity. We need to transition towards renewable sources of energy. Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and tidal energy may have downsides, but long-term benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.

Governments also need to be more intentional about finding ways to remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere. Forests are the earth’s lungs: they take our carbon dioxide and give us oxygen. Over the years, we’ve lost one-third of our forest cover: 90% of this loss occurred in the last 5000 years.

Deforestation needs to stop. Tree planting should become more frequent, especially in urban areas. Governments also need to encourage research into new technologies that would remove CO2 from our atmosphere. The solutions to cutting down emissions are already available. We need to implement these solutions while finding more efficient solutions.

Individuals need to put more pressure on their elected officials to do more in the struggle against climate change. Individuals can also play their part by conserving energy, water, and food, and by consuming less.

By mitigating climate change, we play offense, which is the most effective form of defense. We all need to do more.