While a vaccine is expected to reach the people around the world against the Covid-19 virus some time next year, the International Federation of the Red Cross has warned that there is no vaccine to fight global warming or climate change, which, a new report warns is claiming more lives each year. In 2019 alone, natural disasters killed 24,000 people with many of these disasters caused by climate change of one kind or another. Since the 1960s, there have been over 100 natural disasters of various kinds. The spending on these disasters is unfortunately, very low and the Red Cross believes that the climate change crisis could worsen over the coming years, with at least $50 billion needed to combat it and help developing countries keep themselves safe.
Climate change presents a huge and lasting danger, which will last long after the coronavirus has disappeared from our lives. During the Covid crisis, global warming had in fact slowed down due to fewer factory emissions and a 50 percent reduction in aviation, including international flights. One percent of the world's frequent fliers cause a huge volume of carbon emissions leading to damage to the environment and climate. Only 11 percent of people globally have taken a flight in the last year. In 2020 this number fell drastically. As a result, there was some improvement in global warming and climate change and it has been suggested by experts that funding to rebuild the badly damaged aviation industry be linked to greener measures taken by it to help avoid harmful emissions. This indeed is a problem that should be considered far more seriously.
While we talk a great deal about almost every kind of political or international scandal or event, climate change and its effects have remained a negative factor, despite the millions of lives it has claimed over the years. The Red Cross has been wise to point this out. It is time the matter was given far greater consideration and treated with far greater seriousness. If climate change continues, as it is now, we are in danger of losing our planet as we know it. This would be a catastrophe from which there's no going back. Momentary halts to environmental damage and climate change will not do the trick. We need to find ways to stop it for a far longer period of time and ensure sustainable and green living for all.