Climate change- the elephant in the room!

You might have already heard of the term ‘Climate Change,’ but what does it mean? Conversations at local, national, and global levels have highlighted the urgency of tackling climate change to save life on the planet and protect future generations. Communities are rallying to call upon their leaders to make decisions that put climate resilience at the centre of development. If you are new to climate change work, this blog should help you understand a few things about climate change and why it is a pressing need globally. 

The UN defines climate change as the ‘long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.’ These shifts can be caused by natural phenomena such as variations in the solar cycle, though human (anthropogenic) activities have been the main drivers of climate change since the 1800s. Humans burn fossil fuels that emit Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) such as carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and nitrous monoxide, which destroy the ozone layer, trapping the sun’s heat and raising the earth’s temperatures. 

‘Climate crisis’ is a term that is increasingly being used by scientists, media, civil society organisations, and UN agencies to reflect the severity of climate change impacts and the emergency we are facing to deal with those impacts. It asserts the fact that climate change happening due to human behaviour, and that it has and will continue to have devastating effects on children, women, girls, boys, youth, Indigenous communities, the elderly, other vulnerable groups, and their environment. 

 Climate change continues to cause extreme and unprecedented weather conditions around the world, affecting communities and stagnating development. The last four decades have been significantly warmer than the preceding decades since 1850, and this is largely attributed to intensified human activities. Some of the main effects of climate globally include melting glaciers, rising sea levels, desertification, reduced rainfall, loss of critical biodiversity ecosystem, increased human and livestock diseases, and widespread socio-economic implications. Natural disasters such as flooding, tropical cyclones, windstorms, drought, and wildfires have been associated with changing climatic conditions. Conversely, human-made disasters have also been linked to climate change, for instance, conflict due to competition for limited natural resources such as grazing fields and water sources. 

The World Bank Group estimates that 132 million people will be at risk of being pushed into poverty in the next decade if climate change is not addressed. So, what can we do to curb climate change and reduce its impact? Adjusting our lives to cope with the impacts of climate change (adaptation) and putting in place measures to control the emission of GHGs and enhance sinks of emissions (mitigation) are critical actions. In an interview with Fridah Okomo, a youth climate champion, she described adaptation as ‘a way of adjustment that can limit or reduce the impact of climate change.’

Fridah Okomo- Youth Climate Champion

We must all act swiftly to curb climate change through adaptation and mitigation initiatives in our communities. The success of the present and future generations is pegged on the achievement of the 17 SDGs for sustainable life on the planet. The youth must commit themselves to addressing climate change through involvement in local, national, and global initiatives on adaptation and mitigation. 

...as a young person, I feel I should be involved in climate adaptation. First, because we are the future and we will suffer most if action on climate change is not taken. Second, being involved in climate adaptation creates a shift from us being victims to valuable contributors to climate action giving us a sense of responsibility towards our environment.- Fridah 

Climate action starts with you and me. It is not too late to take action to address climate change, however small, either as an individual, group of friends, part of a community organisation, or an international organisation.