The first thing which would come into your mind If you would read the third climate report published by the United Nations (UN) is the speed and acceleration of climate change. We could only be sure of one thing that Climate is changing and it is changing faster than the models could keep up. The second report had earlier stated that we would probably see the snow disappearing in the Everglades by the 22nd century. The third report nullifies previous assumptions brought forward by second report by stating that it will now disappear in the first 30 years of the 21st century.
The second report said we’ll see more intense hurricanes in the Caribbean and the Gulf Stream in the 22nd century. The third report states that intensity of hurricanes has already been doubled in the 21st century, giving the example of Katrina. If we couldn’t limit temperature rise lower than two (02) degrees, the UN panel says we might see the potential extinction of between a third and over half of the species of life on earth.
At present, the pace at which Climate change and the depletion of hydrocarbon reserves is happening is much faster than many researchers have earlier predicted, and the rate at which world leaders are putting in place new policies isn’t fast enough to combat climate change.
The main problem which could be seen in European Union and also in the world is that everyone looks frightened and wants to hold on at the last stage of an energy era, saying “Not me, why should I sacrifice?” In the EU, all the member countries of the bloc are fighting with each other to know if they could reach the 20% by 2020. And everyone is saying “Why me? How about you? As long as we see this as a punishment, all will continue to fight, shift responsibilities and won’t be willing to share the burden. If we are ready to work together then this adversity could be easily converted to one of the greatest economic opportunities in history. But in order to cash out of this adversity we would need a solid economic game plan, because I truly believe that in this adversity lies a seed of greater opportunity. The challenges posed by climate change offer a new era of opportunities for existing and new businesses going forward. Climate action is the need of the hour and must be tackled with a strategy of financing a low-carbon economy.
The progress and sustainability of our communities primarily depends on how we, as a community, could come up with the solutions to the most pressing challenges that have surfaced from the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution such as global warming and climate change. In fact, I would say that if we really want to successfully transform these adversities into opportunities, what we need is nothing short of green energy revolution.
References
http://www.wri.org/our-work/project/world-resources-report/adapting-climate-change-challenge-and-opportunity
https://www.climategen.org/blog/adversity-transformational-catalyst/
https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/specials/climate-change-seize-the-opportunities/article9483193.ece
https://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/interview/jeremy-rifkin-europe-can-lead-the-third-industrial-revolution/