INVEST IN OUR PLANET
This year marks the 53rd anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement, commemorated yearly as Earth Day. Since 1970, people from over 190 countries have united on April 22nd to promote a more sustainable and equitable future for our planet. As we approach Earth Day 2023, it is crucial to recognize that everyone has the power to create meaningful change and become an Earth champion, regardless of their location or occupation. In order to safeguard our planet, we need to invest in it.
The theme for Earth Day this year is "Invest In Our Planet" which emphasizes the significance of devoting our efforts, assets, and time towards resolving environmental challenges, particularly climate change. By investing in our planet, we can safeguard it and establish a route towards a thriving future. When we collectively Invest In Our Planet, we contribute towards creating flourishing communities worldwide that are not just prosperous, but also healthy and content.
Climate Change Facts
Within the next 20 years, the average global temperature will increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) declared in their Sixth Report that a certain degree of global warming is unavoidable and irreversible. This implies that the average global temperatures are anticipated to increase by 1.5 degrees Celsius within the next 20 years.
The IPCC cautioned in its 2018 special report that we have until 2030 to avert the most severe consequences of climate change. However, there has been little progress made since then in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The carbon emissions resulting from fossil fuels and industrial activities reached an all-time high of 36.44 billion metric tons in 2019. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic downturn, emissions declined by 5.8 percent in 2020. Although the trend reversed last year, the emissions are predicted to grow again by approximately 5 percent in 2021, reaching 33 billion metric tons.
Over 1 million species are at risk of extinction which are caused by climate change
Although extinction is a natural occurrence, which typically results in the loss of roughly five species annually, some authorities argue that human activity is mainly responsible for the sixth mass extinction we are experiencing. Currently, numerous species of plants and animals are believed to go extinct each day, which is almost 1,000 times the natural rate. By mid-century, up to 30 to 50 percent of all the species that exist on Earth might become extinct.
Climate change is already underway, and it is adversely impacting human life too
The report found that inadequate efforts to curb emissions and build adaptive capacities pose a danger to both human life and the national health systems that people depend on by straining services and disrupting critical infrastructure. This crisis is disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities. However, hyperthermia is not the sole threat posed by climate change to human life. Elevated temperatures worsen air quality, impair crop yields, intensify the transmission of communicable diseases, and imperil freshwater reserves. A warming world also increases the intensity of natural disasters.
Ways You Can Help
Earth Day Specials
This Earth Day, join Global Trekker to “Invest in Our Planet”. Gain new insights to combat climate change. Investigate critical environmental issues and learn how pioneering research and community action can enable us to tackle them and build a sustainable future