Earth In Crisis: The Magic Number
Leaders Scramble To Limit Global Warming To 1.5 ̊ Celsius
By Tracey MacDermott
Board Member At-Large, GPHC, Inc.
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This month, leaders from around the globe are meeting in Glasgow, Scotland for the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) with the goal of strengthening the Paris Climate Agreement.
Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius represents the magic number to avoid catastrophic outcomes. We are already at 1.2 degrees warmer, and as the globe heats up, the window is closing. Six years ago, the conference produced the most ambitious agreement the world had seen — the Paris Agreement. It was adopted by 196 countries. This month the leaders will discuss the progress, and lack of progress, on its goals.
Meanwhile, at the time of this writing, two Democratic senators, Joe Manchin, from West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema, from Arizona, are threatening a no vote on President Joe Biden’s reconciliation bill, putting it at risk. Many environmental experts consider the plan key for urgent climate action.
Last summer’s fires, extreme heat, drought, and floods is merely a foreshadowing of what is to come if we allow our climate to continue barreling down this runaway track. Even while his own state was flooding, Manchin continued to block climate legislation. The New York Times has reported that West Virginia is more exposed to worsening floods than anywhere in the nation. While some are considering moving from the state, Manchin collects on his own coal industry investments.
Sinema, a former member of the Green Party, has been demanding that Democrats cut funding that would help poor communities to adapt to climate change. These very communities have done the least to cause the crisis, are now at the greatest risk from climate disasters. Arizona is currently considered under a mega-drought. Parts of Lake Powell, which provides power generation and water to California, Nevada and Arizona, are at the lowest levels since 1969.
It seems that lawmakers should fight for the futures of the states they represent. Obviously some are not.
A major portion of the reconciliation bill would reward electric utilities switching from fossil fuels to renewables, leading to reductions in climate warming pollution while penalizing those who don’t make the change. This bill is crucial to have in place as the United States participates in the COP26 conference — otherwise the U.S. arrives with no climate package and is one of the largest contributors to the problem. The inability to pass the bill with the climate package intact compromises our ability to negotiate for a global solution.
While many are working towards cutting fossil fuel use, the petrochemical industry figured out a way to keep you addicted to their product. The industry has turned its focus to the production of plastics, most of which are made from oil and gas. This will allow companies to continue to utilize their oil reserves for company profit.
The year 2050 is when many are calling for zero emissions to be reached. Yet the World Economic Forum predicts that plastic production will double in the next 20 years. Currently only 9 percent of all plastic waste produced is recycled. The rest is either incinerated or sent to landfills, scattered across the landscape and dumped in oceans. Doubling down on production is game over for our planet.
Right now, it is time to pick up the phone and call lawmakers. Tell those who are opposing the legislation that is designed to address our climate crisis how critical it is they get on board. Assure those in favor that you have their backs.
It is time for all of us to clean up our own houses by making the switch to renewables and demanding a livable future. Ask companies who make products you use to stop packaging in plastic — or tell them you will stop using their products. Reduce your own consumption and call for a more equitable and just world. We don’t have time to wait.
Tracey MacDermott is an at-large member of the board of Greater Park Hill Community, Inc., and immediate past chair. She was trained as a Climate Reality Leader in 2017, and is currently the Statewide Co-Chair of the Climate Reality Project for the 100% Committed Campaign.