OPINION: In wake of the IPCC report, it’s time to act on climate change
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a landmark report on Oct. 8 that sounded a deafening alarm to the world: The time to act on climate change is now.
The report reveals that if the world does not take action, temperatures are on track to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels between 2030 and 2052, which is within the lifetime of most children and young adults. At an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world would experience drastic effects, including food and water shortages, droughts, wildfires, heat waves, rising sea levels and more hurricanes and flooding.
The IPCC predicts that at such an increase, the world would lose 70 to 90 percent of coral reefs, which support over 25 percent of marine species and serve as coastal protection to nearly 900 million people. The world would experience significant climate migration as a number of areas grow uninhabitable. The report also said that limiting the temperature rise to just around 1.5 degrees Celsius would require a 45 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emission between 2030 and 2052.
The 2015 Paris Climate Accord aims to limit the temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius and pursue efforts to achieve a potential limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius. However, the difference between a 1.5 degree rise and a 2 degree rise in temperatures is a dramatic one: Effects of climate change are severely worsened even with a half degree increase.
The IPCC report compares effects at both levels: About 37 percent of the global population would experience extreme heat waves with a rise of 2 degrees, compared to around 14 percent at an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius and 411 million people around the globe would experience water scarcity compared to 350 million. With an increase of 2 degrees, 32 to 80 million people would be exposed to flooding from rising sea levels in 2100 compared to 31 to 69 million with a 1.5 degree increase. A warmer planet also means that a greater percentage of insects, plants and vertebrates would be lost.
It is difficult to comprehend such large numbers, but it is important to recognize the weight of that devastation and loss, not to underestimate it.
However, based on the current global pace, a 1.5 degree rise is inevitable without immediate and comprehensive transformation in the political, economic, social, cultural and natural arenas across the globe. Despite the drastic consequences the world faces unless significant changes are made, there remains a lack of political will to create these changes. In 2017, for example, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would be withdrawing from the Paris Accord, a landmark agreement within the United Nations to combat climate change.
The IPCC report is based on 6,000 scientific studies and the cooperation of 91 scientists from 40 countries specializing in the field. The committee is largely apolitical and the global scientists and researchers are dedicated to facts. However, climate change deniers and political adversaries still persist.
Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, a state which recently experienced unbelievable devastation from Hurricane Michael, is reported to have banned the terms “global warming” and “climate change” from state documents and discussions. Trump has claimed that “the concept of global warming was created by… the Chinese,” and called climate change “a hoax.” And even more concerning — despite facts, data and scientific consensus — is that some citizens have adopted the trite slogans and illogical denials of politicians.
Climate change is not a “red” or “blue” issue. Nor is it one that can be pushed aside as someone else’s problem. Climate change will affect Los Angeles and USC: Droughts, wildfires, rising sea levels and water shortages will become even more of a serious threat. By the end of the century, coastal counties, in which approximately 85 percent of California’s population reside, could face danger of flooding and damage worth $100 billion in property and infrastructure, according to the report.
While some claim that the transformations required to mitigate climate change would be too expensive, the UN report concludes that in reality, inaction comes with a far greater price tag: An increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius could lead to $54 trillion in damage.
The report states that global carbon dioxide emissions must be reduced by 45 percent below 2010 levels and reach a net zero by 2050 ; public transportation and electric car usage should increase, the use of coal as an energy source must be terminated in the next 30 years, and usage of renewable energy sources must increase.
USC must play its part in this move for change. As a renowned university that is home to a high-achieving and innovative faculty and student body, USC must serve as an example to the world.
Although the University has sustainability initiatives in place, such as the Sustainability 2020 Plan, USC must do more to contribute to a more sustainable world. Compared to other top-ranking universities, USC has one of the youngest and smallest sustainability programs. The current Sustainability 2020 Plan outlines initiatives in energy and water conservation, waste diversion, greenhouse gas mitigation, sustainable transportation, sustainable procurement, and education, research and engagement in sustainability.
Previous generations may have neglected climate change and postponed initiatives to ensure a sustainable world, but this one cannot afford to make the same mistakes.
This generation must preserve and protect the planet, for they now have ownership of it. If politicians refuse to act, it is the children and young adults of today who will suffer the consequences in just a few decades.
We, as the new stewards of Earth, must wake up to the climate change alarm, for the time to procrastinate has passed decades ago. We must demand action as if our future is at stake, because it is. For our children, our cities, our homes, and our quality of life, we must put pressure on representatives and elected officials to face the facts and act against political interests and potential economic profit.