Why do we need to react to climate change?

‘We are the…last generation that can take steps to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, so we [must] address climate change.’

Ban Ki-moon (Secretary-General United Nations)

Climate change is at the forefront, whether overtly or covertly, of every action that is taken or that is ‘claimed’ to be taken. We’ve seen this time and time again in the form of politics, business and perhaps more visible at the personal level – we as humans make decisions every day – decisions on whether to turn the TV off or place on standby or drive to work or use public transport?

The above statement given by Ban Ki-moon is like one of many that have addressed climate change. This particular statement, however, stuck with me, it got me thinking: why of course, if we as humanity have had the ability to initiate such a great change in the climate to the extent that we delayed the glacial onset, we can surely mitigate the effects of climate change and reverse it?

The continuous use of the earth’s resources has led to many changes in the environment where almost a third to a half of the earth’s surface has been altered by human action (Vitousek et al 1997).  We as human beings rely entirely on the earth system that provides the means of human survival. Without it, actions which are deemed to be in the periphery and come naturally to all humans, like breathing is intricately woven into the earth system through the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Slight changes in the temperature of the earth can have catastrophic impacts on the way of life, namely the release of freshwater from glacial stores and thus the inevitable rise in sea level – which is already affecting some areas like Bangladesh and the Maldives. These intense changes in the climate can affect the ability to grow crops as well as the ability to attain freshwater easily, changes to in the biodiversity of the planet is of concern.

It is inevitable that humans will modify the environment, the variability lies in the extent to which it is modified. It is therefore inevitable that we need to modify the form in which we change the planet, like Ban Ki-moon says we must address climate change – however, whilst I remain optimistic that something can be done to reverse the damage that has been inflicted I am somewhat concerned and conflicted over whether this can realistically be achieved due to the extent of damage borne on the earth.

The question remains: why do we need to react to climate change? To answer this question, the new proposed epoch by Crutzen and Streomer, the Anthropocene provides a few answers. The term itself, ‘anthro’ implying human action highlights the importance of identifying the serious impacts of human activity. There have been many key changes that have led to the changes in the trajectory of the climatic condition of the earth system – rise of the industrial revolution and technological advances are the commonly hailed attributes to identify the onset of human induced climatic changes. The burning of fossil fuels has led to a continued heavy reliance on this source of fuel, even with ideas of renewable energy on the horizon – there is a much reluctance and hesitance to divert away from carbon intensive fossil fuels and invest in renewables. There are of course other options, mitigation and adaptation along the lines of geoengineering and finding alternatives for food sources are prominent yet remain hotly debated. Action has to be taken, it is just now a case of which route and whether it will prove to be fruitful.