The statistics make frightening reading. Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, weather patterns are changing and the world’s temperature is also climbing.
The whole world is at risk, and yesterday green causes champion Prince Charles said that this is “the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced”. The facts are undeniable. 1997 was the world’s hottest year, but new records were set in 1998, 2005, 2010 and 2014, with 2015 set to set another record.
Many might ask what tiny Malta can do. The truth of the matter is that even if we cut our emissions to zero and relied totally on renewable energy, we would not make any discernible difference to the global situation.
But on the other hand, it is countries like Malta – small island states – which potentially have the most to fear. We live on an arid island, where fresh water is so scarce that we have to rely on desalination plants to meet our needs. If sea levels continue to rise, then we might slowly be pushed further and further back from our much loved coastal towns and cities. If this gets to the point of being irreversible, there might come a day when Malta might no longer be the archipelago that we know and cherish.
US President Barrack Obama and China’s Xi Jinping made impassioned speeches yesterday, reminding us all that we must not enjoy our ‘today’ at the expense of our grandchildren’s ‘tomorrow’. And that underlines just how serious the threat has become. Experts believe that within two to three generations, the world will have been altered irreversibly. The movies showing plots unfold in post apocalyptic earth might actually become true.
There are many powerful images and phrases that have come to symbolise the green movement. But it requires governments to clamp down on polluters, to find alternative and clean sources of energy.
The economy as we know it is outdated and out of sync. It is the Green Economy that is the way forward. Countries have already stated their intentions. Ahead of the Paris talks, more than 180 countries representing 90% of global emissions, have submitted their national plans to cut emissions. This is the first time since climate negotiations started 20 years ago that virtually all the world’s nations have committed to being part of the solution. By comparison, the 1997 Kyoto protocol included pledges for reductions by 37 rich countries which together comprised well under half of global emissions. Kyoto did not include the US, which refused to sign up, or China, the world’s two largest carbon dioxide emitters.
The next two weeks will decide the fate of our planet and possibly, life on earth. The way we currently live is like termites. We have a nest and proceed to strip away each and every natural resource in proximity. The difference is that termites can move on and find another home. We are a long way away from interstellar space flight, which means that if we ruin this planet within the next 100 years or so, we will not be able to search for a new home. This must work. World leaders must act responsibly and not only pay lip service, but walk away from COP21 with a newfound sense of duty; to humanity as a whole. Whatever a person’s beliefs, we have been given the gift of life. Ruining our home planet, causing death and devastation worldwide would be an affront to our species. The dinosaurs had no chance. But we do. We can give earth a chance, we can change our ways. But it needs to be done now, before it is too late.