GO GREEN
“WE do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we
borrow it from our children.” – Native American proverb
BYVA N ESSAPA PASPICS: ADOBE STOCK / MAGAZINE FEATURES
REAL LIFE
24
THE WORLD
COUNTS!
PART 2
ACTIONSBEINGTAKEN(OR NOT)
CLIMATE change is everyone’s responsibility. We take a look at
which nations are on track to meet climate goals:CHINA: China has set targets to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO 2 )
emissions per unit of GDP by 40 to 45 percent. In an historic
joint announcement with the United States, China committed
that its CO 2 emissions will peak around 2030 and that it will
increase its forest stock volume by 4.5-billion cubic metres.
BRAZIL: Brazil has set a target to increase its share of
renewables other than hydropower to 28 to 33 percent of its
total energy mix by 2030.
ETHIOPIA: Ethiopia aims to achieve middle-income status by 2025
in a carbon neutral way through its climate resilient green economy
strategy.
INDONESIA: The Indonesian government has pledged to grow new
palm oil plantation concessions in primary natural forests and peat
lands.
MEXICO: Mexico set a target to cut deforestation rates to zero by
2030.
THE EUROPEAN UNION: The European Union has adopted policies
to reduce emissions by at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by
2030 and established a target to reduce emissions by 80-95 percent
by 2050.
BULGARIA: The Bulgarian government has pledged to protect its
land. Over 28 percent of the country’s land is reserves with limited
public access like national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, protected S
TRANDED polar bears and walruses, melting glaciers, dried-
out rivers, droughts, ocean current changes, mass extinction,
mudslides, flooding and deforestation – is it really THAT bad,
or are these doomsday scenarios all just scare tactics to bump
us into action? In our exclusive five-part series, you will read some very
alarming facts about our current global warming situation. Because
unlike a Zombie apocalypse, global warming IS REAL and YOU can make
a difference and do your part to help preserve the planet. This week we
focus on the species that could face extinction due to climate change,
what countries across the globe are doing about this crisis and practical
tips on going green.A WORD FROM ANGELINA JOLIE
IT’S not rocket-science – the basic principal of survival is simple: we all
need oxygen, water and food to survive. Despite this simplicity, however,
with the growing rate of climate change people who live in vulnerable
regions face the loss of their livelihoods, homes and future.TWENTY FOUR-MILLION people globally are
displaced within their countries each year on average
because of climate- and disaster-related causes, and
it’s only getting worse: the likelihood of any of us being
displaced in this way is twice what it was in the 1970s.
This comes on top of unprecedented levels of forced
displacementworldwidebecauseofconflictand
persecution,”saysrenownedactress,environmental
activistandUNambassador. “If
unchecked, climate change and environmental degradation
have the potential to exacerbate global displacement
beyond anything humanity has ever experienced, with low-
income countries and fragile states set to bear the brunt of
the impact. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, a rise in sea levels by 1m could cause
Bangladesh to lose an estimated 17.5 percent of its land. A
similar rise in sea level could put 3-million people in northern
Nigeria at risk of displacement. How are we preparing for this?
Better still, how are we working to prevent it?WHAT IS THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT?
THE Paris Agreement is the first-ever universal, legally binding
global climate change agreement that saw the world unite to
fight climate change. The goal is to limit global warming to well
below two degrees Celsius. It also aims to strengthen countries’
ability to deal with the impacts of climate change and support
them in their efforts. Almost 200 countries consented to the
Agreement, including China, the United States (which has
since notified the UN of its decision to withdraw from the
agreement), India and South Africa. US President Donald Trump
withdrew due to ‘draconian financial and economic burdens the
agreement imposes on America’. The departure from the Paris
agreement followed Trump’s earlier decision to shelve another
signature environmental effort by Obama, his 2013 Climate
Action Plan.