We spend a lot of time talking about climate change, its adverse effects, and the urgent need to slow it down in order to save the planet. And while we compost and recycle, what is the government doing?
Well, governments from around the world are involved in COP27. The UN Climate Change Conference, or the 27th Conference of Parties, is an annual meeting of 197 countries and world leaders to discuss enacting steps against climate change.
This meeting brings together everyone who signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, an international treaty 30 years ago. Through the accord, all the countries agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and avoid dangerous climate change by implementing practical solutions. Every year, a representative from each of the 197 parties is sent to a two-week conference, where they set goals and evaluate how far they have progressed in achieving their environmental objectives.
This year’s COP was the 27th meeting, which makes it COP27. It was organised from November 6 to 18 in Egypt. If you are wondering whether the decisions made by these governments matter to us, it certainly does since they affect all of us. Let’s look at how.
Climate change and global warming impact us all. The seasons have changed, and natural calamities like floods, earthquakes, cyclones, etc., have increased in frequency. Also, food and water scarcity have escalated. All these factors deeply affect our daily lives.
Now, while composting and recycling are necessary to bring about change, it is also essential to address bigger problems like the use of fossil fuels and greenhouse gases. These major factors are actual contributors to the rise in temperature of the earth. Global temperatures have increased by 1.1 degrees celsius already, and the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that it will increase by 1.5 degrees celsius very soon. It could lead to more natural calamities, the ice caps melting faster and water levels rising.
The panel also says that if the temperature rises above 1.7 degrees, there will be intolerable levels of heatwaves for more than half the world, which in turn could lead to more disease and death.
COP is vital for countries to show how they are tackling specific challenges. It is also a space for climate change activists like Greta Thunberg, Disha Ravi and others to speak directly to world leaders and convey to them what needs more focus. It is a space where representatives, activist groups and NGOs hear your voice.
This year’s COP saw a prominent focus on putting children first. Many activists, including some from India like Licypriya Kangujam, went to Egypt to speak to the UN and other countries about how protecting the environment and the Earth for future generations is crucial. Getting clean air, water, and food is a basic human right for everyone, no matter where they come from. And stopping climate change can help us achieve that.
Do you believe they are on the right track to prevent Climate Change? Let us know in the comments.
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