Daily Times

It has been 25-years since around 17,000 scientists from across the globe got together and warned us about the worsening situation of global climate. Since then, awareness about climate change has increased significantly. However, reports by scientists at the UN Climate talks on Monday still paint a bleak picture. Carbon dioxide levels — that had not risen since 2014 — are set to rise by two percent this year. It is estimated that 41 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere this year.

This revelation has revealed that humanity is failing to reach the Paris Agreements goal of capping average temperatures to two degrees Celsius under pre-Industrial levels. The consequences of this failure will be dire. A one-degree Celsius rise in global temperature has already resulted in significantly smaller ice caps, droughts, hurricanes and shrinking wild life habitats. A two-degree change will be all the more devastating for the environment.

Taking note of the serious report, a letter has been signed by 15,000 scientists from the international community, warning that things are getting worse than anticipated. The letter has been published in the BioSciences journal. It has warned that unfettered consumption patterns and the world’s booming population is putting humanity in grave danger.

The letter has also outlined 13 steps to be taken to rein in global warming. They include reducing the world’s dependence on fossil fuels, making contraception more available and estimating a scientifically defensible and sustainable human population for the long term.

Monday’s revelation comes at a time when both Delhi and Lahore are reeling from the worst spate of smog in recent history. Both cities are among the worst in the world in terms of air pollution. Residents have complained of chest pains, dizziness and respiratory issues. It also needs to be mentioned that the Subcontinent is the most densely populated area in the world. So the warning given by the scientists in their letter needs to be taken into account by the governments of Pakistan and India as well as Bangladesh.

In Pakistan, we need to pay heed to the small community of development practitioners and ensure climate-proofing of all our development plans. This means that we must immediately reconsider plans to set up coal-fired power plants under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor. There are comparable and environment-friendly options available for power generation. These latter options must be explored instead of coal.  *

Published in Daily Times, November 18^th 2017.