Sustainability challenges
According to the scientific community, evidence for climate change is unequivocal, and the human influence on global warming, due to the increasing emission of greenhouse gases, is observed since the industrial revolution.
Global carbon emissions in 2018 reached an all-time high to 33,5 bn tons. This is an extraordinary watermark in Earth’s history. It underscores the need for faster and stronger action for addressing climate change. Human activities are estimated to have caused approximately 1.07 Celsius of Global Warming above pre-industrial level, with a likely range of 0,8 C to 1,3 C. In this context Climate Change is consequence of Global Warming.
The entire world can feel the effects of Climate Change. Heat waves, intense drought periods, the melting of arctic ice sheets, ocean acidification, heavy storms, and flooding are examples of how real Climate Change is and it shows the urgent need for us to take actions. Risk to health, food security, and biodiversity will increase as temperature instability continues. A higher concentration of greenhouse gases in the future will cause further Climate Change. With the Paris Agreement signed in 2015, 187 countries have agreed to keep the global average temperature ‘well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1,5 C above pre-industrial levels’.
Exampled of the effects of climate change are:
Intense drought periods
Ocean acidification
Heat waves
Heavy storms
Melting of arctic ice sheets Flooding