Though climate change threatens every aspect of life as we know it, one way we can stop it is by “safeguarding and strengthening nature.”
That’s among the most important–and hopeful–takeaways from the otherwise devastating climate impact analysis just released by the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Nature can help protect us … if we protect her.
There’s no time to lose. “Globally, less than 15% of the land, 21% of the freshwater, and 8% of the oceans are protected areas,” reports the IPCC in “Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.” Without quick and determined action, we are likely to see irreversible ecological losses, not to mention the devastating health and security crises climate change will trigger.
Already, climate change has caused the local disappearance of over 400 plant and animal species, the Washington Post reports. Since 1945, warming-induced severe drought has killed up to 20% of trees in North America and parts of Africa.
“Risks to well-being, livelihoods and economic activities from cascading and compounding climate hazards, including risks to coastal cities, settlements and infrastructure from sea-level rise,” are also occurring, say the report’s authors.
Pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people living in low-income communities are particularly threatened. Deadly heat waves are intensifying, aggravating air pollution and undermining water quality, sanitation, and energy systems. Extreme weather events kill people who don’t have the means to get out of their way.
Time and again, the IPCC stresses, “Climate change impacts and risks are becoming increasingly complex and more difficult to manage. Multiple climate hazards will occur simultaneously … resulting in risks cascading across sectors and regions.”
In other words, it’s not a single Category 5 hurricane or one drought we need to fear. Hurricanes beget floods, droughts beget wildfires, melting sea ice begets coastal flooding, higher temperatures beget the spread of infectious diseases, all of which can occur in different parts of the US or the world at the same time.
The IPCC says one consequence of these “concurrent climate extremes” can already be seen on our grocery store shelves as well as at our doctor’s offices. Food production losses from heat and drought increase food prices, reduce household incomes, and lead to health risks of malnutrition and climate-related mortality. Risks to food safety from climate change further compounds health threats by exposing food crops to toxic fungi and contaminating seafood with harmful algal blooms and chemicals.
Nature can help. “Healthy ecosystems are more resilient to climate change and provide life-critical services such as food and clean water,” said IPCC Working Group II Co-Chair Hans-Otto Pörtner. “By restoring degraded ecosystems and effectively and equitably conserving 30 to 50 per cent of Earth’s land, freshwater and ocean habitats, society can benefit from nature’s capacity to absorb and store carbon, and we can accelerate progress towards sustainable development.”
However, there is a catch: “Adequate finance and political support are essential,” Pörtner declares.
Here in the US, political support is being tested judicially. The US Supreme Court is currently considering a lawsuit filed by the state of West Virginia challenging the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency to restrict the carbon emissions of coal-fired power plants, the second-largest source of climate pollution in the US. The outcome of the lawsuit could either reinforce EPA’s authority to curb carbon emissions—or give utilities free rein to burn as much coal as they can as quickly as they can.
It is critical, says the IPCC, to understand that, in addition to climate change, global trends such as unsustainable use of natural resources, growing urbanization, social inequalities, losses and damages from extreme events, and the pandemic all jeopardize the future of humanity.
“Our assessment clearly shows that tackling all these different challenges involves everyone—governments, the private sector, civil society—working together to prioritize risk reduction, as well as equity and justice, in decision-making and investment,” said IPCC Working Group II Co-Chair Debra Roberts.
What can we do? Start by demanding that our government leaders make ending climate change a priority. Pressure the private sector to switch to clean energy for operations and manufacturing while minimizing the use and waste of natural resources. And at home and in our communities, help protect the nature around us.
- Join groups working to keep local watersheds, rivers, lakes, and streams clean.
- Become a friend of your nearest forest, whether it be state forest land or a tract that’s part of the US forest system.
- Embrace development that helps rebuild our cities and towns, rather than urban sprawl that will destroy more land.
- Cultivate your own yard or garden with native plants that help restore your community’s ecological balance.
Most of all, stay motivated! Families can make a difference!! Here are nine ways to keep your chin up even when the news about climate change threatens to devastate you.