The World Bank estimates that 140 million people will be affected by extreme droughts, floods, and storms by 2050. New research has found that climate change has boosted heat-related deaths in warm seasons by an average of 37%. By 2050, the rising sea level could affect much of the US East Coast, while islands such as The Bahamas and low-lying cities such as Jakarta and Mumbai could be catastrophically submerged.
Drought is blighting Europe
Following recent ongoing heatwaves and water shortages, according to the Global Drought Observatory (GDO), 47% of European soil has dried up and “the current drought appears to be the worst since at least 500 years”. This has led to wildfires and troubled crop yields throughout the continent. GDO’s report also states that almost every river in Europe has dried up to some extent. Some rivers have dried up and uncovered historical relics, including remains of World War 2 Nazi ships in the Danube in Serbia.
Affected countries include Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Serbia, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the UK, and Ukraine. The current situation in Europe is considered to be a severe drought and will continue along the European Mediterranean until November.
Climate change is worsening every year
The most important factor in driving action to address climate change is government-led initiatives. For example, the UN-sponsored effort that led to the landmark Paris Agreement in 2015. The agreement has been endorsed by nearly every nation on earth, including those representing the vast majority of global GHG emissions. The only major emitters that have not formally joined the agreement are Iran, Turkey, and Iraq.
Nations participating in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed that the best available science requires that global GHG emissions reach net zero by 2050 to hold global temperature rise to well under 2°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100.
Efforts should also be pursued to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. Reaching net zero by 2050 requires, as an intermediate step, cutting global GHG emissions in half by 2030. These are the levels necessary to stave off the worst effects of climate change. Companies around the globe need to take climate action to avoid the continuation of potentially life-threatening consequences.
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