Survival mode

While President Donald Trump continues to insist that global warming is fake and has rejected many of the policies put in place to protect the climate and environment by his predecessor, the UN chief has said at the opening of the UN Climate Change Conference that the world stands at a critical place. Antonio Guterres said that humanity needed to decide whether to build hope for the future or simply surrender and give in to climate change. The World Meteorological Organization has warned that the last five years have been the hottest ever recorded while the 196-nation Paris Treaty on Climate Change has agreed that global warming must be kept at below 2 degrees Celsius and 1.5C if possible to safeguard the world. While this would mean limiting carbon emissions, clamping down on the use of fossil fuels and a string of other difficult measures, Guterres has asked if the current generation wishes to be remembered as one that buried its heads in the sand and fiddled while the planet burnt.

There also appears to be a divide within the US Congress on the matter. Congressional leader Nancy Pelosi leading the US delegation to the summit maintained the world could still count on her country’s support despite Trump’s threats. Trump last month gave formal notice of US withdrawal from the Paris Treaty. However, data from the US shows that most Americans and all Democratic representatives are committed to the targets set by the 2015 agreement.

Certainly, there seem to be few options. The conference was warned that last time there was a comparable change, temperature had risen 2 to 3 degrees and sea levels to 32 to 66 feet. There were also impassioned pleas from the leaders of nations which face extinction. The key issue is finding the global will to act before it is too late. The UN summit has issued a warning which is difficult to ignore. Today, the globe could be standing on the edge of extinction. This crisis has been created by humans and the lack of ability on the part of governments, especially those of the most developed states, to act quickly and lessen the danger. The survival of the world may depend on the ability to do so in the months and years ahead.