The Reality of Climate Change

An article published in 1973 in the journal, ‘Nature’, included a study, by Mr. George Tolley of University of Chicago, which concluded that individuals will use energy 10% less, if the price of the fuel is increased by 10%. Almost fifty years later, it is unsure to say that the price of fuels, which have fluctuated to eventual growth, has any contribution towards reducing energy consumption. Given that global energy consumption has risen multifolds, it is unsure that individuals have made less use of fuels too. But, the fifty years have seen a drastic upliftment of the world economy, with currencies progressively getting stronger along with a constant flush of policies that put economic indicators such as GDP to the fore, and such studies often lose meaning with time. However, there is one constant that is often (and rightly) discredited: the use of fossil fuels to generate energy.

As far as fossil fuels are concerned, they’re so rooted within our history, politics and economy, that we find it hard to shift to perhaps more cleaner sources of energy. The entirety of humanity, ignored the possibility of these resources being extinct once, and began laying the energy foundation of the world mercilessly using fossil fuels – namely coal and oil – centuries ago. Possibly, they hoped that successive generations would be able to get newer sources of energy, and they were right; but, most significantly, they ignored the efforts (monetary and emotional) that would be needed to replace the older foundations that were originally intended for energy production but, are now a major source of the cause of the century, a.k.a climate change.

Our ancestors did well though; they used what they had to its full potential, and hence, it’s now up to us to act towards this “menace in disguise”. For context, fossil fuels forced into agreement some of the most focused climate change targets – such as the 1.5 degree global warming limit decided in Paris in 2015. Yes, such facts can instill positive feelings about their existence, but here’s what we need to know: firstly, the glacier mass balance – the ratio of how much mass glaciers gain to how much mass they gain – is at an all-time low. The indicator has continued to plummet steeply as an aftermath of the growing prominence of global warming– one of the biggest pieces of evidence of actual climate change. As a result, the sea level has risen at a rate of 0.13 inches annually (approximately) since the year 1993. Ecologically, a rise in sea level equates to an increase in coastal erosion and an increased chance of flooding.

Secondly, wildfires, and floods have become a common phenomena. Since the year 2000, an average of 70,000 wildfires have scorched up an average of 7 million acres of land each year. Not only do these spontaneous fires contribute to deteriorating air quality, but they also greatly affect the ecosystem in its vicinity. Additionally, wildfires cause a long-lasting impact on the land, making it inhabitable for most of the species, which results in habitat displacement and other ecological imbalances. Furthermore, floods (another known result of global warming), are notorious to cause huge property destruction in coastal areas and lead to a decrease in marine population. Most recently, the Pakistan floods have caused national ruckus, killing almost 1,600 people in a span of weeks.

Climate change is a phenomena whose effects would require years to settle down when left alone, and within a world that doesn’t stop running, climate change can only accelerate. Last year, amidst the variety of promises made, one promise stood out: the promise to end the use of coal for energy production. Though energy powerhouses such as India, US and China didn’t vow in, it was a significant step towards decisive use of energy. Eradication of fossil fuels is perhaps the most regarded solution to many adverse effects of climate change. Eradication, doesn’t imply what Dr. Edward Jenner did to Smallpox, but implies the use of fossil fuels such as Coal in barbecue and not in energy generation.

As we step into the 27th Conference of Parties (COP27), it’s time that we start acting towards climate change; global targets and goals are a good starting point, but we should start taking into account the real-time impact of these goals, along with the launching of a plethora of more aggressive short-term goals, which shall aim to delay the inevitable fate of humanity.

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Praveen Senthil is the Co-founder and CEO of Serenity.