Embedding Climate Action in Our Thoughts and Actions: An ZN Perspective
We live in a world that adores buzzwords, both good and bad. Everyone is looking to coin the next big one to gain an edge over their competitors and/or become instantly popular. Buzzwords come and go, but there is one that has stuck around for more than four decades. It is ‘global warming’ or more commonly known today as ‘climate change’. Posed for the first time as a serious problem in a 1975 scientific paper, the word, and the science behind it has gained tremendous traction over the years. The actions to reverse its adverse impacts, however, has seldom received the equal attention.
In 1988, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to provide policymakers with regular scientific assessments on the current state of knowledge about climate change. Since its establishment, IPCC has constantly highlighted the importance of climate change as a challenge with global consequences. It is a challenge that requires international coordination and for us all to think as one. More recently, IPCC in their sixth assessment report warned that any further delay in global action to slow climate change and adapt to its impacts “will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all”. According to the UN chief, the most recent report is a ‘code red for the humanity’.
Figure 1 - IPCC, 2021: Summary for Policymakers (secondary source: BBC)
IPCC has previously confirmed that scientists were 95% certain that human are the ‘dominant cause’ for global warming since the 1950s. Our collective actions and inactions since the onset of colonization, industrialization, globalization, and urbanization have led to soaring global temperatures. Worst part is we only have a handful number of years from this point on to control the rising temperatures and perhaps reverse the mess that we have created. Can humans be the ‘dominant cause’ of achieving this objective? YES, according to science. We have more power than we think we do but we are constantly distracted by the curveballs thrown at us by life. The catch is that we must act fast and as one. We need to treat the climate crisis as what it is – a crisis, an emergency and perhaps a war where climate change is the enemy. We need to embed climate action in our thoughts, feelings, and actions we take as individuals and organizations.
Why do we need to think about climate resiliency? One word – survival! Climate change threatens the way we live, impacts other living beings and the future our planet. Severe weather events and rising sea levels are affecting people, businesses, and their assets in both developed and developing world. If we do not take any action, all the great progress we have made as a global civilization will be undone faster than we can think. Our inaction would cost us more than if we were to take actions to improve how we live, work and play, all while reducing our emissions and building climate resilience. So, what can be done to solve this crisis, and do we even have the time to do so?
Human beings are a marvelous species not only because we have big brains and opposable thumbs but because we have this ability to change our surroundings dramatically. That is precisely what we need to do to address climate change, but we need to do way more than what we are doing. We must transform our systems for energy, food, transportation, and industry. We must redesign our lives, businesses and economies in a way that limits the global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees and at the same time be prepared for the future impacts of climate change. We simply must embed affirmative climate action in everything we do.
At ZN, we support our clients and partners to take such actions. From strategizing to operationalizing of ideas, we ensure that climate change is considered at every step along the way. By involving the right people, employing relevant technology, and accessing required financial resources, we collectively aim to understand the climate risks, identify appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies to embed climate resiliency, and support with planning and implementation of such strategies.
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