About that Climate Report Last Week…
November has arrived and the fall is upon us, and this month we’ll be watching some ongoing events with interest, including the launch of the United Nation’s annual Climate Change conference which will begin next week in Bonn, Germany.
The conference will highlight several important themes, and among the topics up for discussion, we expect to hear a formal response from the world community regarding the current US president’s rejection of the Paris Climate Agreement, a voluntary adoption of several broad goals related to industry-generated waste and emissions reduction. We also expect the members of the conference to react to THIS recent document:
https://science2017.globalchange.gov/
…which represents the first half of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, a report mandated by a US law passed in 1990. The report made headlines last week after being generated by a diverse group of scientists and academic institutions and receiving review and approval by the National Academy of Sciences. Contrary to the stated position of the current administration, this report confirms evidence that human activity is now leading to a steady and ongoing rise in global temperatures and that we are, in fact, experiencing the warmest period in human civilization.
What does this document mean for the planet? The upcoming conference may shed some light on the subject and provide the beginning of an answer. What does it mean for our team here at Just Atonement? In simple terms, it confirms the urgency of our mission and reminds us that the damage we’re attempting to mitigate will be widespread, and its implications and complications will be difficult to predict and control.
As the planet warms, few clear lines and easy connections will appear between cause and effect. How will a drought in Myanmar impact rice markets in Canada, account holdings in Cyprus, political turmoil in the Korean Peninsula or invasive insect populations in Cuba? How will we begin to draw this complicated map, and as we identify the lines that connect these events, how will we take action based on what we find? Meanwhile, who will stand with us to protect resource distribution systems, peaceful negotiation across changing borders, and access to economic and social justice for those who are caught in the crossfire?
This report provides political and economic confirmation of truths that have been known to the scientific community for some time. So what will happen next? Over the short term, how will the current administration reconcile its confirmation of a report that undermines the goals of its stated agenda? Stay with us as we follow the implications of the report to the United Nations Conference and beyond. Meanwhile, contact our office to learn more or join our team!