PLANET AT RISK: HOW HUMANITY CAN STOP ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER

They turn on all electrical appliances in their apartment, make ashes after their picnics in the woods, do not sort waste, and throw away lithium batteries. It seems that it is not a very big deal as everyone does so. Meanwhile, through thoughtless consumerism, humanity has triggered almost irreversible consequences for the climate. Nature resists as best as it can through natural disasters, floods, and unexpected climatic changes. After what happened recently in Pakistan, I could not remain indifferent and I want to share my thoughts and suggestions with the readers.

Angelina Jolie, the famous American actress and goodwill ambassador of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, recently visited Pakistan, which was devastated by terrible floods. She saw with her own eyes terrible consequences of the flooding, which covered a third of the country. As a result, 1,100 people died and 1,600 were wounded. A total of 33 million people became victims of the disaster, while 6 million need urgent help. Infrastructure was also badly damaged: buildings, bridges and roads were destroyed. 4 million hectares of farmland were destroyed and almost 800,000 livestock killed. It is no exaggeration to say that Pakistan is experiencing a major humanitarian disaster.

This affects everyone

Trying to be diplomatic, Angelina Jolie directly pointed out who is to blame for the climate disaster on Earth – its inhabitants. Humans had been mocking nature for so long that it finally could not bear it. Now, according to Jolie, it is necessary to correct the mistakes.

"Governments need to be pushed to understand that the lack of fair trade, rising emissions and the failure to resolve conflicts are causing more deaths and suffering for millions of families all around the world," said the actress.

The tragedy in Pakistan is only an episode in a chain of other horrific disasters around the world. Rivers in Europe and China were drying up. The abnormal summer heat destroyed crops in Pakistan and India. In Germany and Austria, on the contrary, the crops were flooded by heavy rains. Weather conditions have repeatedly made the United States declare of a state of emergency.

According to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Pakistan is one of the ten countries most affected by climate change. And this is despite the fact that the country accounts for only 1% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

Guterres emphasized: “Pakistan and other developing countries are paying a terrible price for relentlessness of the countries that continue to rely on fossil fuels in their economies. I am sending a global message from Islamabad: stop the madness. Invest in renewable energy immediately. Stop the war with nature".

Worst of all, the natural disasters that are occurring on the planet in the 21st century are the result of man-made climate change. According to German scientists, the probability of major flooding in different regions of the planet has increased by a factor of 1.2-9. The disasters are likely to be 3-19% stronger than they used to be 120 years ago. Taking the flooding in Pakistan as an example, the level of rainfall that led to the disaster was almost three times the average of the past 30 years. This was confirmed by Claire Nullis from the World Meteorological Organization, who stated that the flooding in Pakistan "is a consequence of climate change, which is becoming more and more extreme”.

There is some hope

Climate and weather change are responsible for 90% of the world's natural disasters. Because of disasters, the world economy annually loses an average of $ 520 billion. Consequently, 26 million people on the planet are in complete poverty. And what for? So that the insatiable fuel corporations can make more super-profits? After all, extraction of environmentally unfriendly energy resources - oil, gas and coal - releases billions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere of the planet.

The World Meteorological Organization has presented terrifying statistics: if the rate of emissions does not slow down, by 2100 the average temperature on the planet will increase by 3 degrees Celsius as compared to pre-industrial levels. Now it is only 1 degree warmer, and we can see what sad consequences this has caused.

The main thing is that there is some hope. Thanks to modern technology, it is possible to reduce more than 70% of emissions into the atmosphere. Another piece of good news is that each of us can counteract the global environmental disaster. According to experts of the UN Environment Programme, if 1 billion people take practical environmental steps, up to 20% of global carbon emissions will simply disappear.

It does not require much. Limit energy use in all areas of life, from sensible energy conservation in your own home to switching to electric cars or bicycles. Take care of everything around you, including the environment and your own things. Think about changing your own diet – eat more plant foods and, if possible, give up meat. Forget about cigarettes, the smoke from which harms all living things. Significantly reduce the amount of waste, and carefully sort and send the remaining waste for further recycling. It does not seem that hard to do these things. Especially since the future of the planet and the health of future generations are at stake.