My spouse and I are fortunate to have seven grandchildren aged 3 to 14. At Christmas, we observed them happy, playful, carefree. Barring bad luck, they will still be alive in 2100. But what will their life be like until then? I worry about them… Their future is already mortgaged.
Since the beginning of industrialization, our level of well-being has greatly improved. But this progress has a cost, the extent of which we are gradually realizing. Cost so high that it could make our planet almost uninhabitable.
When scientists first started warning us about global warming some 40 years ago, many believed they were exaggerating. Today, the reality often turns out to be worse than their predictions. And it will only get worse!
Thus, last summer Europe experienced the worst heat waves in its history. The temperature regularly exceeded forty degrees. Faced with such heat, the air becomes unbreathable. Fifteen thousand people died. The fires have multiplied.
Drinking water sources have dried up. Whole crops were lost. These droughts were often followed by torrential rains and catastrophic floods. In London, even street furniture has been damaged by the excessive heat.
Life in all its forms then becomes threatened, starting with that of humans. Beyond the lives lost or shattered, disasters linked to climate change also cost 300 billion dollars in 2021. What will happen in 2100 if drastic measures are not taken? Will our descendants still have the desire to give birth to children?
tipping point
According to IPCC experts, to limit the average rise in temperatures by 1.5 degrees by 2030, GHG emissions must be reduced by 43% compared to 2019 levels. All this to avoid reaching a point of seesaw where the changes would become irreversible and totally unmanageable.
Between 1990 and 2015, GHG emissions rose from 60 to 98 million tonnes per day, an increase of more than 60%. Nature is able to absorb about half of it. The rest accumulates in the atmosphere and increases the concentration of carbon dioxide.
Among the G7 countries, since 1990, Canada is by far the country that has increased its emissions the most, by 23%. Meanwhile, the United States raised theirs by 2% while the European Union lowered theirs by 28%.
In the fight against climate change, out of 63 countries, Canada ranks 58e rank. Fourth oil producing country on the planet, it still subsidizes its oil industry with billions. Our country is an environmental dunce! Lots of work for Minister Steven Guilbeault!
Canada, even though it promises to reduce its emissions by 40% by 2030, has lost all credibility. Especially since it still wants to increase its oil production by 5%.
The climate emergency is the greatest challenge facing humanity. Life on earth is closely linked to the climatic balance. There is no spare planet available to us and our descendants. No vaccine for a sick planet either. However, during the recent COP27, no progress was made towards reducing greenhouse gases. Probably because governments find that they have never reached the targets they themselves had set.
Tendency
The various states are challenged to reverse the trend. But citizens are also called to a certain sobriety in their consumption, in particular at the level of fossil fuels. According to the Global Footprint Network, humans currently consume in seven months all the natural resources that ecosystems are able to generate in twelve months. This is a world average. North Americans proportionally consume the equivalent of seven planets each year… We must stop being addicted to economic growth at any price.
If we have arrived at our current level of comfort, it is because we are the most intelligent creatures that have ever lived on earth. But if we want to continue to exist, we will need more than intelligence. Above all, we will need wisdom!
Some time ago, while his parents were away, I was driving my six-year-old grandson to school. As I was taking a slightly longer route, but one that was more familiar to me, my grandson said to me: “Grandpa, you’re not taking the shortest route, it’s not good for the environment. ! Greta Thunberg will take over. Source of hope despite everything!