A new global warming report shows it's still not too late to avert the worst impacts of climate change. It just boils down to whether we can muster the will to do so, thinks DW's Sonya Diehn.
We've already warmed the world about 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times — with disastrous effects. Our coral reefs are dying, sea levels are rising, species are going extinct and extreme weather is on the rise.
In 2015 with the Paris Agreement, virtually all the world's countries agreed to limit further warming to a maximum of 2 degrees, preferably 1.5 Celsius.
The new report, unveiled after years of crafting by the United Nation's scientific body, outlines how keeping further warming under 1.5 degrees could still save our coral reefs. The Arctic would only be ice-free one summer every hundred years, instead of every decade. Sea level rise by 2100 would be 10 centimeters (3.9 inches) less.
DW's Environment Team Leader Sonya Diehn
Overshooting 1.5 degrees would mean a vast difference in the frequency and severity of extreme weather — think back to the heat waves that scorched the Northern Hemisphere this summer. That could become the new normal.
In short, Earth systems we depend upon to sustain us would remain largely intact under 1.5 degrees of warming. Under 2 degrees, there's no certainty of that.
So, can we manage it?
Soaring temperatures, wildfires scorch Europe
Record-breaking temperatures of up to 38 Celsius have caused deadly wildfires, water shortages and damaged crops. Initially seen as a refreshing change, many Europeans now say the heat wave can't end soon enough.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Polizei Brandenburg
Europe strips off
Summer 2018 began as a welcome break from Europe's often-unpredictable weather, and people took advantage of the constantly warm temperatures to spend more time outside. The heat was especially a boon for pubs and bars where fans congregated to watch the soccer World Cup. But as temperatures climbed to up to 39 Celsius, the heat wave's negative effects began to be felt across the continent.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Akmen
Racing against the clock
The high temperatures and low rainfall led to a sharp rise in wildfires across several European countries, including Sweden, where authorites were, at one stage, battling more than 50 blazes, some in the Arctic Circle. When German firefighters tackled a forest fire in Fichtenwalde, near Berlin, their operation was suddenly made more urgent by the discovery of unexploded World War II ammunition.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Andersson
Paradise goes up in flames
Greece, meanwhile is counting the cost of its own devastating wildfire which last week left 86 people dead. The seaside village of Mati, just 30 kilometers (17 miles) from Athens, saw houses and land incinerated, while many people drowned after rushing into the sea or were burned alive while trying to escape in their cars.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Tzortzinis
Scorched earth as rivers start to run dry
Many of Europe's rivers and reservoirs experienced almost drought-like conditions after water levels dropped severely. Freight vessels that ply German sections of the River Rhine (pictured here in Düsseldorf) and Danube were ordered not to sail fully loaded. The Netherlands meanwhile closed several movable bridges after the metallic structures expanded so much that they couldn't be opened.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Gerten
Heat makes great escape worse
As millions of Europeans hit roads, rail and air for their annual summer holidays, transport infrastructure struggled to cope. Eurotunnel passengers faced delays of up to five hours after the air conditioning units failed on trains. Some holidaymakers were forced to spend the night at Hanover airport after authorities canceled flights when one of the runways started to melt.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/G. Fuller
The coast is no escape
Poland shut scores of beaches along the Baltic Sea coast after the heat wave triggered a massive toxic algae bloom. German health officials, meanwhile, warned the elderly and others with weaker immune systems to avoid swimming in the Baltic Sea as the increased water temperature poses a danger from vibrio bacteria, which can cause severe illness.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/M. Fludra
Foods prices likely to rise
German farmers estimated the damage to crops from the heat wave could reach €1.4 billion and warned of higher supermarket prices. Other countries predicted the worst grain harvest in 25 years, as crops ripened much faster than expected and low rainfall produced a low yield. In Sweden, dairy farmers said they were being forced to slaughter some of their livestock.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Pleul
Spray fountains keep Parisians cool
Until storms broke the intense heat on Friday evening, Parisians made use of the city's recreational facilities to keep cool, including water fountains around the Eiffel Tower. Despite being 3,324 pages long, France's infamous labor code doesn't mention a specific temperature that would force companies to shut down. But staff can't be punished if they stop work over fears for their health.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/A. Apaydin
Dark clouds hint at end of hot spell
Parts of Europe experienced up to six weeks of uncomfortably hot weather. Forecasters predicted that the first storms would bring heavy rainfall to many areas this weekend. Thunder, rain and hail were reported in France and the UK on Friday evening, while the darkening clouds alerted the crowd at this cricket match just outside the English city of Leeds to prepare for a similar downpour.
Image: Getty Images/N. Stirk
9 images1 | 9
Making it possible
The IPCC report outlines very clearly what steps would need to be taken to stick to that lower limit of 1.5 degrees. It's nothing short of a massive transformation.
Globally, we'd need to cut our carbon emissions nearly in half over the next decade. We'd need to reach "net zero" emissions by mid-century.
Our transport would have to shift to e-mobility, powered by renewable electricity. We'd need to use our agricultural lands much more efficiently. We'd have to construct our buildings and our cities to be more energy efficient.
And of course, we'd have to change our lifestyles — especially in industrialized countries — to consume and waste less. It's all possible — the report outlines a roadmap for making this happen.
So actually, the question is not can we keep global warming under 1.5 degrees. The real question is, do we want to.
Wanting versus doing
The fact is, it won't be easy. Policy has not moved in step with science. Governments have demonstrated a pathetic lack of political will around climate action. There's been a disturbing global trend of people electing right-wing populists. Climate denialists are sitting in cabinets in some of the most powerful countries today.
Some say it will require nothing less than a mass popular movement — to elect politicians who prioritize climate change, to hold elected officials accountable, to block the power of the fossil fuel lobby, to pressure companies to divest.
Of course, many of us will have to make trade-offs as well. Fewer vacations involving flights; a smaller car; eating meat less often.
But when you really boil it down, do we actually have a choice? Do you want millions of people to lose their homes and their livelihoods? Are you and your family ready to personally face ever more heat waves, droughts, heavy rainfall and flooding? Are you ready to see your own food security at risk?
If you care at all about the future, you should be ready to make some sacrifices now and take action to hold politicians accountable.
