Estimated $200 Billion in damages in 2020; in US alone Courtesy: CNBC
United Nations panel released a report on Climate Change signalling "Code Red for Humanity". The sober assessment of our planet's future has been delivered by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a group of scientists whose findings are endorsed by the world's governments. Their report is the first major review of the science of climate change since 2013. Its release comes less than three months before a key climate summit in Glasgow known as COP26.
"If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as today's report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses. I count on government leaders and all stakeholders to ensure COP26 is a success." UN Secretary General António Guterres
The Key Points of the IPCC Report are:
Global surface temperature was 1.09C higher in the decade between 2011-2020 than between 1850-1900.
The past five years have been the hottest on record since 1850
The recent rate of sea-level rise has nearly tripled compared with 1901-1971
Human influence is "very likely" (90%) the main driver of the global retreat of glaciers since the 1990s and the decrease in Arctic sea-ice
It is "virtually certain" that hot extremes including heatwaves have become more frequent and more intense since the 1950s, while cold events have become less frequent and less severe
Ten major climate change events in 2020 in India alone have caused damages of over Rs 10-lakh crore ($141 billion), 322 times higher than the annual budget of India’s environment ministry. Most of these estimates are based only on insured losses, and this means that the true financial costs would be higher. Together these climate disasters killed at least 3,471 people while displacing nearly 14 million.
Don't shrug it away
This news is not to be shrugged away. Each one of us has and our forefathers have had a role to play in reaching this tipping point on the planet. We did this to ourselves in the pursuit of earning an income at a huge cost to ourselves and our future generations. If you think this doesn't touch or impact you, think again. Look at the above numbers and illustration. You are having to work a hundred times harder to earn an income than you did a decade ago. Because the other 9 times you are working to cover the debt caused by the losses suggested in the above paragraphs.
Yes, it is the way we work and the Products and Services we Create and Consume that has contributed to this rapidly snowballing crisis. There is no way but to stop, examine and renew the way we think about work, plan and execute it, making it our mission to become accountable and responsible in:
Considering sustainable alternate Materials, Energy, Lifestyles and Processes from Conceptualization / Creation to Commercialization / Consumption; transforming the way we Plan, Create and Execute Work to generate Income and Wealth at an Individual, Enterprise & Societal Level.
Transform Talent to meet the emerging Challenges of that redefined Work Requirements using Digital Technology Intelligently Fusing with People.
Contributing measurably to the reduction of Carbon Footprint and greenhouse gas emissions in every walk of life.
Come and engage with us for a dialog. We can figure out together how we can make this planet a better place to thrive rather than constantly be worried about Survival.
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