It is clear: we must act now
Following decades of ignoring warnings, humans are causing irreversible destruction to our planet and its inhabitants. 1.5°C has long been considered the line in the sand between relative safety and incuring the worst effects. Yet world leaders lie when they say 1.5°C remains within reach, publicly committing to significant emissions reductions while rubber stamping fossil fuel projects.
Right now we’re facing a man made disaster of global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years.
Sir David Attenborough
We need real transparency from our leaders, and we need to know what our path forward is for society, the human race, and every creature we share the planet with. It has to start by being open about where our world is at today and where we are headed. Even if we could ignore climate change, human activity on Earth is irreversibly destroying our planet through deforestation, mining operations, and widespread pollution.
But we cannot ignore climate change nor the crisis we are creating for ourselves. For decades we have known burning fossil fuels contributes large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and pollute the environment. For decades we have allowed fossil fuel companies to lie to us, buy off our policies and politicians, and convince us that individual responsibility — like reducing carbon footprints — is enough.
The environment is not something we keep in a jar in a far off country. It is not something we drive to for a weekend of quietude. It surrounds, directly affecting each one of us, and it is us too. We cannot continue treating the environment as a separate entity apart from human activity. When beavers alter an ecosystem by building a dam they cause effects which balance out in a sustainable way. This balancing act is a constant in nature, except for human activity. If we continue altering our environment without accommodating the need for balance, we will lose our planet. We will lose our biomes, our ecosystems, and our capability for life. If we continue down the path we are on right now we will lose everything and plunge the Earth into its 6th mass extinction.
We have warmed our planet an average of 1.2°C and are heading for at least 3.4°C. Government commitments aren't nearly enough, and even these are not being met. We need to dramatically cut fossil fuel use across energy production, manufacturing, and agriculture — but these are predicted to grow.
more »
Our planet is approaching its 6th mass extinction due to deforestation, consumer demand, and increasing temperatures. At least 30% of species are facing extinction as we destroy their homes — along with ours. This isn't only loss of life: it directly leads to worsening effects as we remove natural balances such as pollinating species.
more »
The world's richest 10% are responsible for 50% of greenhouse gas emissions, while climate change most harms the world's poorest. Current solutions focus on investment vehicles for the rich instead of addressing global impact and inequality.
more »
