Marine ecosystems and habitats are at the precipice of severe loss of life as we know it. Human intervention has enabled irreversible damage, which comes back to our standards of living. Indigenous communities are at the forefront of the consequences, and need safeguarding now more than ever.
The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is a 1,443 km heated and buried pipeline that will export oil from Hoima in Uganda to Tanga port in Tanzania. The EACOP will cost an estimated $3.5 billion to construct The construction of the pipeline has been controversial owing to environmental and social impacts, as well as concerns about the negative effects of fossil fuel use.
As COP27 begins to fade away from memory, it’s important to reflect and note down some of the significant achievements that came out of the conference and to set our eyes on the upcoming COP28.
Individuals in low-income communities are more affected by inadequate waste management and resource exploitation. People who live in poverty are more susceptible to the consequences of climate risks and lack the adaptive abilities to reduce their exposure than those who have access to education
Only 18 % of appointed ministers worldwide are women. The vulnerability of women to the climate crisis is not only environmental but it is also rooted in its intersection with socio-economic and cultural factors, as well as lack of gendered policy. The inclusion of women in decision making and climate related policies is vital to combating women’s vulnerability to the climate crisis.
The boreal forests are in danger of flipping from a carbon sink to a carbon source in the coming decades. Threats to the boreal forests include increasing global temperatures, more wildfires, and the northward migration of invasive species of insects. These threats have interlocking feedbacks to each other, whereby the increasing influence of one worsens the other.
The boreal forests (also known as the Taiga) experience some of the harshest conditions of any forest, and yet support robust ecosystems capable of significant biological activity.The boreal forests are excellent “carbon sinks”, not because of the extensive forests but because of the frozen and waterlogged soils that cover the biome.Unfortunately, rising temperatures due to climate change is weakening the boreal forests’ ability to store carbon.
‘Global warming’ is defined by the International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) as an increase in combined air and sea surface temperatures averaged over the globe over 30 years. Earth’s temperature is believed to have risen by 0.08° C per decade since 1880. Global warming reached about 1°C by 2020.
Land use change refers to the change in function of an area of land. Since the 1960s, demand for food has resulted in an unprecedented rate of land use change. Land conversion for agriculture is a key driver of the current climate emergency.
This article explores the findings from the latest IPCC Special Reports. Key headlines flag up the climate-related health issues emerging, as well as the need to dramatically limit further warming by rapidly reducing emissions.