The Crisis Became An Emergency In 2020

The Climate Emergency: 2020 in Review; Despite some promising developments, the need for action has grown even more urgent William J. Ripple, Christopher Wolf, Thomas M. Newsome, Phoebe Barnard, William R. Moomaw, January 6, 2021 (Scientific American)

“The climate emergency has arrived and is accelerating…[The adverse effects] are much more severe than expected, and now threaten both the biosphere and humanity. There is mounting evidence…The year 2020, one of the hottest years on record, also saw extraordinary wildfire activity in the Western United States and Australia, a Siberian heat wave with record high temperatures exceeding 38 degrees C (100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) within the Arctic circle, a record low for October Arctic sea ice extent of 2.04 million square miles, an Atlantic hurricane season resulting in more than $46 billion in damage, and deadly floods and landslides in South Asia that displaced more than 12 million people…[There are now ove 13,700 scientist-signatories to a paper] showing vital signs of very troubling climate change trends with little progress by humanity…

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As we move into 2021 and beyond, we need a massive-scale mobilization to address the climate crisis…Swiftly phasing out fossil fuels is a top priority… Quickly cutting emissions of methane, black carbon (soot), hydrofluorocarbons and other short-lived climate pollutants is vital…We must restore and protect natural ecosystems such as forests, mangroves, wetlands and grasslands, allowing these ecosystems to reach their ecological potential for sequestering carbon dioxide…A dietary shift toward eating more plant-based foods and consuming fewer animal products, especially beef, would significantly reduce emissions…We must transition to a carbon-free economy…Exploitation of ecosystems for profit absolutely must be halted for long-term sustainability…The global human population, growing by more than 200,000 people per day, must be stabilized and gradually reduced…[There are glimmers of hope and aggressive] transformative change, if framed holistically and equitably, will accelerate broad-based restorative action and avert the worst of the climate emergency…” click here for more

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