The climate crisis
The climate crisis has escalated to a point at which scientists predict that, in the coming decades, we could face threats never before witnessed by humanity.
Extreme weather
We are now commonly experiencing record-breaking heat-waves, drought, floods, storms, and wildfires. Extreme weather events have caused over 2 million deaths in the last 50 years, 90% of which were in the Global South. By the end of this century it is expected that 1 in 5 people will live in a country exposed to dangerously hot temperatures well outside the safe human niche.
Warming oceans
90% of global warming is occurring in our oceans. This has led to a doubling of marine heatwaves, putting the biodiversity of the oceans and the health of coral reefs in grave danger. Scientists predict that every one of the world’s coral reefs could bleach by the end of the century while half of the world’s marine species are expected to be extinct by 2100.
Air pollution
As well as being a cause of climate change (in the form of greenhouse gas emissions) air pollution can also result from climate change. This can be in the form of the smoke from wildfires, the increase in mold and bacteria as a result of storms and flooding, and due to the damage caused to plants and forests. 7 million people die annually from air pollution and half of the world’s population is thought to be exposed to worsening air quality.
Extinction
The cumulative result of these changes – plus the increasing loss of habitats – is resulting in the gradual extinction of many animal species. Projections suggest that if global temperatures increase by 2°C by 2100, about 18% of all species on land will face a high risk of going extinct.
