Signs of Hope from the 2021 Climate Report
With "code red" splashed across headlines about the latest IPCC report, it can be easy to give up hope about climate change. However, giving up hope is the exact WRONG move. We need to have as much hope as possible in order to spark change. So in this article, I focus on a few positives from the 2021 climate report.
Limiting global warming is simple science
Yes, global warming is v scary, and its solutions are complicated. However, very few aspects of it are mysterious — the report outlines the exact science of climate change in just a few pages. This concise explanation shows that scientists are very sure about what is causing global warming and how to fix it. Namely, global warming is caused by an excess of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. And to limit global warming, we need to stop emitting greenhouse gases as much as possible.
This scientific certainty gives us a clear course for action, IMO: put policies in place that force companies to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The evidence is plentiful, and many people have already created genius solutions. At this point, we just need to convince politicians that climate change is a worthy cause for new, strict policies.
Our society could be heading toward a better future
The report's analysis of Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) suggests that creating more collaborative, equal and just societies could go hand-in-hand with creating a better climate future (big yay to both!). The more societies can work together to expand social factors like education and equality, the easier it will be to limit climate change.
It is great to see this concept in a scientific report because it reinforces the importance of intersectionality, the idea that many injustices have overlapping solutions. All activism is important, and pushing for other social causes could indirectly benefit our climate. If we're able to push for a better social future, a better climate future will more easily follow. This means we might be heading toward a future where climate change is limited and social goods are expanding!
Total apocalypse isn't likely
The report explains that disasters like ice sheet collapse, ocean circulation change and extreme warming are possible but very unlikely. In other words, movie-worthy apocalyptic situations will probably not happen.
I realize that "probably no apocalypse" isn't the most reassuring language, but personally, I think it is excellent news! The mere possibility of a total apocalypse should motivate policymakers to do better, while the unlikeliness of extreme scenarios should reassure you. Have a go-bag ready just in case, but don't spend too much time fretting about what the future could hold.
1.5 degrees of warming isn't out of the question
There is still a sliver of time to drastically cut our emissions and end up with a global average temperature about 1.5 degrees above that of 1900. Don't get me wrong, 1.5 degrees of warming will be deadly, will disproportionately impact small island nations and will wreak havoc on wildlife. (This is awful, and large polluting nations need to be held accountable.)
However, if we're able to stay as close as possible to 1.5 degrees of warming, many lives could be saved and some parts of the world could retain a sense of normalcy. Again, this isn't the best news, but it is much better than facing an impending apocalypse!
Parting Words
Climate change can seem overwhelming, but we must stay hopeful. It's easy to say, "we're doomed!" and give up. It's difficult but necessary to say, "we're not doomed if we work hard!" and then collaborate to create solutions. We have to choose the more difficult path in order to overcome climate change and save our wildlife, planet and lives!