While the world’s attention is on the COVID-19 pandemic, the threat of the Climate Change crisis looms far worse. As Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN reminded us on Earth Day, “Climate disruption is approaching a point of no return. We must act decisively to protect our planet from both the coronavirus and the existential threat of climate disruption.”
Although it’s challenging to see beyond the suffering caused by the pandemic, 2020 has already shattered records and raised louder alarm bells on the changing climate. Yet again, following year on year trends, temperatures have been the highest on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that January 2020 was the warmest on record in its 141-year old dataset.
The seriousness of Climate Change is seen in Australia where the recent bush fires devastated communities, homes and wildlife. An estimated 33 people died, and hundreds of millions of animals have perished. The World Weather Attribution consortium published a study where the authors conclude, “we clearly identify a connection between climate change and fire weather”.
If richer and more developed countries are feeling the strain, the threat and burden from Climate Change is far worse for low-income and developing countries, and this has already been well documented not least by the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change.
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