How much of our water will be lost to the sea during this monsoon, does anybody know?
Top climate scientists’ findings of a 2.5°C rise this century picture a dismal future of famines, wars, and mass migrations caused by increased heatwaves, wildfires, floods, and storms. The world thermometer is steadily increasing. However, for millions of people experiencing the brunt of a catastrophe over which they had no control, this so-called semi-dystopian future has already become a sad reality.
The consequences are immediate and devastating, resulting in great suffering for people worldwide. Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa battle with yearly crop failures, while communities in Pakistan and Afghanistan experience severe flooding throughout every rainy season. This is not a problem for 2100; this is a problem that we are already facing. These repercussions have been directly witnessed by my group, and these few cases should serve as a stark reminder to the international community that the time for meaningful reform is now.
The response, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has been incredibly slow. In order to solve the climate disaster, these frontline communities must adopt a holistic approach that goes beyond band-aid fixes. There must be a major increase in funding and all forms of investment in order to support locally driven adaptation solutions that allow people, communities, and societies to modify their lives and means of subsistence in response to shifting weather patterns and catastrophic weather occurrences. Businesses and governments must work together to accelerate knowledge transfer in order to enable equitable and sustainable economic growth where it is most needed, as well as a just transition to clean energy.
The problem facing developing nations is not that they cannot generate money from their own citizens; rather, it is that the financial solution to climate change favors only wealthy and/or financially capable nations. Debt-ridden nations (that are really getting poorer) are unable to take on any additional debt. Already, twenty sub-Saharan nations are paying more in debt repayments than they have to spend on education or health care combined. The problem will become worse with more financing. More funding for human capital development is required, and the poorest students should get better popular education rather than formal schooling. Above all, in order for smallholders to be able to produce adequate food, the wealthy world needs to alter the physical and social environment in which they live. Improved agricultural practices result in improved physical environment management.
