Point of No Return~ II
Why in News?
Agriculture is perhaps the most climate-sensitive sector. Frequent floods and droughts caused by climate change lead to food shortages and rise in food prices.
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Point of No Return-II:
- Agricultural and Food Security Challenges: Agriculture, being highly sensitive to climate change, experiences frequent floods and droughts, further exacerbating food shortages and causing hunger and malnutrition, especially among the poor. Alongside heightened food insecurity, climate change also contributes to rising drinking water insecurity, leading to various diseases, including kidney failure, particularly affecting children.
- Impact on Children's Health and Development: A UNICEF report indicates that nearly every child will experience at least one major climate change event in their lifetime, with children facing multiple and prolonged exposures to extreme weather events. Climate hazards such as droughts and crop failures pose long-term risks to children's growth and development, with extreme heat stunting child growth through reduced agricultural and protein production.
- Emergence of Climate Refugees: Additionally, the impacts of climate change, including water scarcity, warming, sea level rise, and other crises, have led to the emergence of a new category of refugees known as climate refugees. While the Geneva Convention of 1951 applies to refugees facing persecution, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees acknowledges the applicability of the Convention to those affected by climate change, provided they are already marginalized and facing or at risk of facing persecution. However, implementing this recognition presents significant challenges.
- Legal and Practical Challenges in Addressing Climate Refugees: While not legally classified as refugees due to the requirement in the Refugee Protocol that their fear stems from violence or persecution, individuals displaced by climate change are often referred to as climate refugees because their migration is involuntary. Ban Ki-moon, former U.N. secretary-general, noted in the 2012 State of the World’s Refugees report that climate change is increasingly contributing to forced displacement, intertwining with traditional causes such as conflict and human rights abuses.
- Agreement on the legal definition of climate refugees is just the beginning, as identifying these individuals presents a significant challenge. The World Bank's Groundswell report projected that by 2050, around 216 million people worldwide could be internally displaced due to climate change impacts. Additionally, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre reported over 32 million displacements in 2023 alone due to natural disasters.
- Compounding the issue is that countries grant refugee status on an individual basis, while climate change affects entire communities or nations. The IPCC warns that climate change-induced migration will transcend national borders, posing challenges for countries ill-equipped to absorb such large numbers of climate refugees.
- Accelerating Climate Change and Tipping Points: The consequences of greenhouse gas-induced warming are increasingly apparent, with more frequent and severe droughts and heatwaves. Climate scientists published a report in Nature in November 2019, indicating that nine climate tipping points defined by the IPCC are likely to be crossed sooner than previously thought. These interconnected tipping points could lead to irreversible changes in the world's climate system.
- Urgency for Decisive Action: Despite decades of pledges to mitigate global warming, intensified diplomacy, and efforts to slow climate change, the planet is already experiencing its consequences. The future of the planet and humanity hinges on decisive action in the coming decade. The term "net-zero" or "carbon-neutral" is gaining prominence in climate change negotiations, yet negotiators recognize that existing agreements may not suffice in a compromised and climate-risked world.
Conclusion:
The decade of the 2020s represents humanity's last chance to take meaningful action. While some remain hopeful due to technological advancements and collective will, others, like Seyyed Hossein Nasr, argue that the root of the environmental crisis lies in humanity's hubris and domination over nature. This statement is a close warning that our exploitation of the earth and its resources will ultimately lead to our own demise.
