Greenhouse gas levels
Earth is drowning, burning up, and freezing simultaneously, and it is not just climate change deniers torturing her
It is unfortunate that despite all the talk from countries large and small about committing to fight climate change, greenhouse gases in the atmosphere hit a new record in 2018. The World Meteorological Organisation said on Monday that the levels also exceeded the average yearly increase of the last decade and are reinforcing increasingly damaging weather patterns.
The WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin is among a series of studies to be published ahead of the United Nations climate change summit in Madrid next week. The study in question looked into the atmospheric concentration of gases responsible for global warming, rather than emissions, giving a better estimation of overall impact. The WMO secretary-general bluntly noted that despite all the commitments made under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, “There is no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline, in greenhouse gases’ concentration in the atmosphere.” The impact of this will be continuing severe weather trends, rising sea levels, and ecosystem disruptions. Mother Earth is drowning, burning up, and freezing simultaneously, and it is not just climate change deniers and sceptics torturing her.
Much more unfortunate is the fact that countries such as Canada — whose leaders have openly accepted that climate change is a severe threat — continues to invest in fossil fuel production, backed by over a billion dollars in government subsidies and tax breaks. The provincial government of British Columbia alone gave US$625.5 million in subsidies for fossil fuels in the 2017-18 fiscal year, according to a report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, released on Monday. Most of this money was for fossil fuel producers rather than consumers. Put simply, they are putting more money in the pockets of fossil fuel producers to encourage them to increase output. Those fuels are then exported abroad for final consumption, allowing Canada to blame others after flooding the global market with cheap fuels which make pricey green options less attractive.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2019.
The WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin is among a series of studies to be published ahead of the United Nations climate change summit in Madrid next week. The study in question looked into the atmospheric concentration of gases responsible for global warming, rather than emissions, giving a better estimation of overall impact. The WMO secretary-general bluntly noted that despite all the commitments made under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, “There is no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline, in greenhouse gases’ concentration in the atmosphere.” The impact of this will be continuing severe weather trends, rising sea levels, and ecosystem disruptions. Mother Earth is drowning, burning up, and freezing simultaneously, and it is not just climate change deniers and sceptics torturing her.
Much more unfortunate is the fact that countries such as Canada — whose leaders have openly accepted that climate change is a severe threat — continues to invest in fossil fuel production, backed by over a billion dollars in government subsidies and tax breaks. The provincial government of British Columbia alone gave US$625.5 million in subsidies for fossil fuels in the 2017-18 fiscal year, according to a report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, released on Monday. Most of this money was for fossil fuel producers rather than consumers. Put simply, they are putting more money in the pockets of fossil fuel producers to encourage them to increase output. Those fuels are then exported abroad for final consumption, allowing Canada to blame others after flooding the global market with cheap fuels which make pricey green options less attractive.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2019.