We have to adapt ourselves to climate change
When Irish economist and philosopher Edmund Burke ‘s home foundation was severely damaged by the erosion of the banks of the River Liffey in 1745, he was at home and witnessed the incident with his own eyes.
It was a strangely thrilling experience for him. The man who would help found modern conservatism was deeply affected by this incident, which he later described in his writings.
He believes that the scene of destruction can lead to an interesting discussion if viewed from a distance.
The most frightening realization from recent scenes of destruction is that there is no safe place on Earth to watch them.
Low-lying land in the German city of Erfurt was torn apart like tissue paper by floodwaters, British Columbia’s Leighton burned off the map just a day after setting record high temperatures, streets in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou turned into canals after flooding, cars floating like dead fish. In short, the world is now in great danger.
Greenhouse gas emissions have led to a planet more than 1 °C (1.8 °F) warmer than Burke’s pre-industrial era.
Previous accumulations and newly created emissions in the atmosphere continue to make the weather heavier, both predictably and unexpectedly. If this amount of discharge continues, the situation will undoubtedly worsen.
Unfortunately, 2021 will likely be one of the coldest years of the 21st century. Despite efforts to combat climate change, temperatures may rise by up to 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the coming decades, posing serious risks to many tropical regions. Coral reefs, the Amazon rainforest, and everything else on which their livelihoods depend will be destroyed. Crop land will be severely damaged.
The ice in Antarctica and Greenland will begin to melt, which cannot be stopped in any way. Sea levels will begin to rise not in millimeters as promised by world powers, but in meters.
Six years ago, countries in Paris pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius. But that promise has not seen much progress.
Even if they achieve the 2°C target, the world’s forests will still burn, grasslands will dry up, riverbanks will erode, and mountain glaciers will vanish.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is not the only way to combat climate change. The entire world urgently needs to invest in adapting to a changing climate.
The hope here is that the ‘adaptation’ process is politically acceptable. Everyone will clearly understand the need for this. When a country invests in flood defenses, it protects its own citizens. There are no cost-free solutions in the world, as is true of emissions reduction measures.
Some adaptation processes can be carried out fairly easily anywhere. The process of warning Germans of impending floods must now have improved.
But other problems require large public investments, such as those introduced for water management in the Netherlands. Of course, rich countries can easily afford such expenses, but poor countries need help.
That is why the Paris Agreement calls for an annual transfer of $100 billion from rich countries to poor countries.
But developed countries are still not paying much attention to this. On July 20, 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden’s Special Envoy on Climate Change, John Kerry, announced plans to triple America’s pledge for climate adaptation grants to $1.5 billion by 2024, focusing on support for developing countries. Such efforts are very important in solving problems.
But they also have some limitations. It may be easy to deal with when there is little, but when the problem is evident, it is difficult to solve it.
Even if the Paris target can be kept below 2°C, the full extent of these limitations cannot be tested.
Initiatives aimed at reducing emissions might not progress as swiftly as required. In addition, many researchers believe that the climate as it is now may become even more sensitive in the future.
So, it would be wise to realize the importance of solar geoengineering as part of the adaptation. It might not significantly combat greenhouse gases or warming, but it could slightly decrease precipitation compared to temperature, possibly altering precipitation patterns.
Recent studies indicate that solar geoengineering can greatly lessen the impacts of greenhouse warming.
But how could such a plan be implemented?
