On Saturday night the annual international observance of Earth Hour asked us to give our attention to the planet. Just a few days later, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released its latest report. It emphasises the likelihood of an increase in extreme and irreversible damage.
In many ways it is an indictment on humanity that we need to be reminded yearly to consider the health of our planet, as if it were some fringe topic. Other creatures that possess the will to live pay close attention to their surrounds, to the environment that sustains them. Apparently, we humans are different. Or the majority of us, anyway. Some of us sideline all that 'greenie stuff'. Some of us have simply become nihilistic, and despair at hearing about climate change without feeling we can effect change.
In light of the IPCC's worrying report — the second part of the panel's fifth climate change assessment and the result of years of work involving 309 leading researchers — consider the fact that modern civilisation has even deemed Earth Hour necessary. It's a bit like having to prompt a dog to notice its kennel is on fire — it wouldn't happen. Unless the dog is in very bad health, it will do what it needs to in order to save itself.
The report outlines numerous risks (identified as 'high confidence' risks) due to climate change. These include higher mortality rates caused by extreme heat; risk of death, injury, ill-health or disrupted livelihoods in low-lying coastal zones and small island developing states due to storm surges, coastal flooding and sea-level rise; ill-health and disrupted livelihoods related to inland flooding; increased global food insecurity with crops affected by increased drought and flooding; significant loss of species; breakdown of infrastructure affecting electricity, water supply, emergency and health services; loss of income and livelihoods for farmers and pastoralists in semi-arid regions; loss of marine and coastal ecosystems and fishing industries in affected areas.
The report highlighted, 'Many key risks constitute particular challenges for the least developed countries and vulnerable communities, given their limited ability to cope.' If you didn't think of climate change as a social justice issue, think again.
The fact that the overwhelming majority of scientists claim climate change is due to human impact makes humans sound as though we don't give a damn about our planet. Indigenous Australians before British invasion respected the environment and lived in balance with