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There are a lot of things happening on our planet lately relating to the environment. From the relieving treaty to tackle plastic waste to the horrible rainstorm happening in Australia, here is the summary of some events relating to the environment and climate change that happened from 28 February to 13 March 2022.
Latest IPCC Report Indicates That Immediate Action Is Required
Based on the latest IPCC report, 40% of the world population are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to its severity, where the poor and disadvantaged people are affected the most. In this high emission scenario, there are 250,000 deaths relating to climate change predicted. 3 billion people may experience water scarcity caused by temperature rise of 2 degree Celsius. This problem cannot be outreached by technology; it requires an immediate global action before it becomes too late [1].
Source: giphy [6]
UN Environment Assembly Is Publishing a Treaty For Plastic Waste
On 2 March 2022, a draft for a treaty to tackle plastic waste was published based on the UN environment assembly that was held from a week before in Nairobi, Kenya. It was agreed by nearly 200 countries. The treaty will be legally-binding and will cover the entire lifecycle of plastics, from design to disposal. This agreement of the treaty has been described as the most significant global environmental decision apart from the Paris Agreement, and also signifies the winning of the planet over single-used plastics [2].
Source: giphy [7]
Ads Regulating Guidance is Released by ASA
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) planned to release a guidance that will ensure companies do not mislead the consumers about their environmental impacts in their advertisement. This happened as the public is starting to raise their awareness about greenwashing, shown by 50 worldwide complaints that are pending before a court or an advertising standards body. Inquiries are also launched into claims by companies in priority areas: aviation, energy, waste and animal-based food, to review their carbon neutrality [3].
Source: giphy [8]
Amazon Forest is Near the Tipping Point
Recent decade satellite images showed that 75% of Amazon forest has lost its resilience, which means that it is harder for it to recover after a disturbance. This lack of resilience suggests that the rainforest will reach a tipping point where sudden and irreversible dieback are most likely to happen. This may result in the changing of half of the rainforest to a savannah where it would be catastrophic to our planet, since the Amazon rainforest is one of Earth’s most important carbon sinks. This will make the Paris Agreement goal of 1.5 degree Celsius become impossible [4].
Amazon forest keeps getting near to its tipping point
Source: Phys.org [9]
Heavy Rainstorm Hits the East Coast of Australia
A series of rainstorms have just inundated the east coast of Australia. It is so severe, it got its foreboding moniker of rain bomb, where it makes at least 22 people perished and tens of thousands evacuated. Due to its natural factors and human-caused climate change, Australia is the best example for a place that experiences alternating opposite extreme weathers: severe heat and drought on one hand and heavy rain and flooding on the other. Worsen by La Nina conditions in the Pacific, the flooding continued where it will take quite a long time for the recovery of the damaged homes. In the coming decades, such events are likely to be more common and impactful [5].
Heavy rainstorm have just inundated the east coast of Australia
Source: CNN [10]
So, those are some of the eco-news happenings in the world from these past two weeks. We all hope that in the future there will be more great news and less of the bad ones. Nevertheless, we will try to keep you in touch with what is happening in our environment, so stay tuned for more upcoming eco-news!
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