Climate change

Climate change has brought and will continue to bring extreme environmental events that will be difficult to prepare for, experience, and recover from with effects that will continue to layer upon our world's existing inequalities but scientists have been studying our climate for decades and have come to one inescapable conclusion greenhouse gases are driving up Earth's average temperature and unchecked that's going to make our planet a lot harder to live on. Countries worldwide in 2015 In the historic Paris Agreement, parties agreed to take strong action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. For many nations, this effort resulted in a goal to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. the goal of these pledges is to limit how much the average global temperature rises, specifically to limit warming by the end of the century to less than two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial Revolution levels and ideally to stop at 1.5 degrees that half a degree might not sound like much, but it is a significant amount in the context of global warming. However, if warming is limited to 1.5 degrees, the situation is much less dire, with some areas experiencing half as many water shortages as in the worst-case scenario. That's just one example; everything from the vegetables you eat to the coral reefs you want to visit someday would have a better chance of survival with just 1.5 degrees of warming. This translates to better food security and a higher standard of living for millions of people and for all life on planet Earth. It is feasible to achieve Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050 and so prevent global warming. The International Energy Agency, a body responsible for formulating policy, has even provided us with a roadmap filled with potential checkpoints. It calls for measures including ceasing the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035 and the sale of fossil fuel boilers used to heat our houses and water by 2025. By 2040, 50% of all buildings would have technologies in place to operate without emitting greenhouse gases, and the entire world would be powered by electricity with net zero emissions. By 2045, we would be using efficient, low-carbon heat pumps for half of our energy needs, and by 2050, even industry would undergo a significant change. When comparing the effects of what you can do with the effects of large firms, it's difficult to beat just one person trying to make a difference, especially since from 1965 to 2017 just 20 companies responsible for over 35% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Where do people like you and me fit into that part of the story? Well, companies, governments, and research centers developing new technologies all have one thing in common they're made by people, supported by people, and can be changed by people. And in a lot of big ways, young people are leading this charge. You've probably heard of Greta Tunberg, a Swedish environmental activist who has led strikes and spoken at global climate conferences. At the age of 12, Rwandan student Joseline Irocose saw stacks of electronics dumped in a nearby landfill and was inspired to create an app that directs users to local recycling facilities. Emirati Canadian student kakashabasu founded a business to engage youth in neighborhood sustainability initiatives, and at the age of 16, she now guides individuals in planting mangrove plants in Tidal ecosystems that have seen deforestation. In Florida, Delaney Reynolds established a program to inform local youngsters about the risks posed by sea level rise. These are just some of the initiatives that young people are making towards making the world a better place. United efforts could even further our influence in making the world a better place one day at a time.