“We are the first generation who saw the impact of climate change and perhaps we are the last generation who can do something about it” -Barack Obama
The emergence of climate change marks a turning point in human history where the unrelenting quest for progress and power is encountering great obstacles. The world’s climate has changed dramatically in just one century, presenting existential risks to human civilization. As of today, troubling doubt and denial surround this occurrence despite its enormous ramifications, which impedes effective action and worsens its effects. This article aims to clarify the scholarly conversation about climate change by exploring its complexity and the significant consequences it poses for the survival of human society. It attempts to provide a thorough knowledge of the difficulties faced by Human race, shedding light on its far-reaching repercussions and advocating for urgent collective action to minimize its effects through rigorous analysis and synthesis of scientific literature.
Climate change, a phenomena that distrust the world in multiple means, many see it from the lens of carbon dioxide production in the atmosphere and it is certain that the temperature rise due to human activities only can surpass 2.9 degrees as of this decades end which is alarming for the whole mankind, not specific to one country. The annual carbon contribution to the atmosphere raises drastically, based on the collective numbers of activities going on in the planet earth. As of 2022, the number of Unicorns in the world reached to 1312, the US being the runner up with 653. In all these numbers, there are 80 climate tech unicorns in the world that is making climate change not just a reality but a completely new realm of threat to mankind. The collective value of these climate tech unicorn comprises of 180 Billion Dollars as of Global Climate Tech 1000. This indicates the sensitivity of the importance of this white elephant but unfortunately, in the third world, the meaning of climate change is still in the dark grave with no one to truly believe on its immortal existence.
Post industrial revolution, the world has changed. The prospects of human security and development that started then, with noble plans of changing the world has now triggered with the worst noble enemy. It was industrial revolution that paved the way for this new giant, making humans its epicenter. The grief concern is that still being in the 21st century, most part of the world has been deprived of its importance. The raise of populist leaders in the world, the wave of nationalism across the globe and the lack of interest in the under developing nations towards climate change has played substantial role in its ignorance. The drastic impacts it has most recently in the form of floods in the South Asia, which is home to the 57 percent population of this world, the wild fire in the Amazon and Australia that killed unlimited number of animals leading to the disturbance of ecosystem, and the increasing droughts that is making food security as another major threat to different nations are perhaps some important factors in the unending list of its impacts.
In today’s world, challenges are immense, some disguises traditional threats but nontraditional too played pivotal role in the current sphere. In a country like Pakistan, the problems lies in the roots. The meaning of human security particularly in Pakistan has also changed, from basic constitutional promises to a complete new dimension of threats. Climate change and its impacts are the new most vulnerable threat to the entire state whose repercussion were drastically imposed on different communities exploring new problems regarding flood victims where different diseases specially in the females was to be seen as a new ticking bomb for the state. However, the focus still remains mostly on our traditional threats due to the unchanged reality of our geographic position in the region. The lacks in our policies, the lack of interest towards such threats and the absence of modern approaches in our policy making are among a few major reasons behind our current standing.
The timely need is that specific measures should be taken for the sanctity of human development. Our long impending goals are yet to be achieved while the new ones are in the way. Fighting climate change will demands much higher capacity of not only the governments across the world but also the people. Many steps can be considered like the net carbon deduction, the reduction of fossil fuel burning and the implementation of new mechanism to cope with this like the advance machinery to construct a new better way for the control of carbon just like many countries has started. Carbon prevention techniques are becoming a new tool for not only the environmental protection but it can also help states to form and maintain a new culture of how to slow down the carbon combustion. Furthermore, the increase numbers of deforestation currently going on in the Brazil and in several other part of the world is also a major cause for this catastrophe whose deem prevention needs to be the upmost priority for the welfare plans of the world.
A collective approach is needed, by improving significant talks in the conference of parties, deliberative measures, and increase conferences can enlighten ways for a substantial environmental security. The ignorance can lead to a major catastrophe as the recent withdrawal of Former President Donald Trump from Paris Agreement and emerging Populism withstanding a potential threat to the climate change are a matter of grief concerns. However, the developments in the last COP 27 was of a valuable interest to the victim states by introducing Loss and Damages fund which played important role in the survival of affected states.
It is not too late, states can still adapt a good strategy to cope this. Climate change is a gradual increasing phenomena and its impacts is not fixed. In the last 100 years, there wasn’t any signs of its impacts but within just one decade, the direction changed. Who knows that in the next 100 years, the world will be the same as we planned to see it, the requisition of climate change will be able to control and change the world for the worst if it isn’t addressed eloquently. Now it is the time that this subject becomes the potential topic for the researchers, academics, scientists, as well as governments to put forward the productive measures and see for its valuable findings in order to protect population and states from different new challenges.
A dualistic approach is needed, not just a state but the people there selves. Awareness programs in the least developed areas, green plantation drives, changes in the cultures and traditions, limited coal burning and upgrading policies by the state should be keenly followed. Apart from this, a collective approach by taking Governmental and Non-Governmental organizations alongside to build a good structure in how to improve the policies and actions for better by engaging people along with the government. With this, a remarkable change can be seen in securing environment, growth and development in different states and communities who faced disastrous impacts in the last few years. Climate change is a reality that needs to be faced with bitter truth and with such actions and timely response, the world can be saved before it’s too late.
