No places left to hide from extreme weather coming our way
The Zealand Gabrielle Flooded City Of Move Cars As Cyclone New Hit Through Roads Tropical In Northern Whangarei
It is estimated that 3.3 million US adults were displaced from their homes in 2022 due to the severity of weather events such as hurricanes, floods, or fires. Of this total, nearly one in six residents never returned to their homes.
The UK recorded an increase of 638 more deaths on July 19, 2022, due to the heat event when temperatures rose above 40C for the first time. And cyclone Gabrielle is now wreaking havoc across New Zealand as the worst storm recorded in a century.
A primary contributor to these weather disruptions is the increase in average global temperatures, 2022 being recorded as the warmest Irish year on record since 1900 with an average temperature of 10.8C.
There are many other weather systems causing devastation around the world that could be qualified as the invisible hazards becoming more visible — they strike home more clearly to our eyes, ears, and noses. Do we get the picture that Ireland could be next? Or the fact that it is only a matter of time before we are next?
Scientists aren’t politicians — we expect the truth from them. We may be exhausted by the nightmare scenarios they predict but continuing to downplay them is dangerous. While government must legislate for the impending crisis, government must also persuade their citizens to endure the lifestyle changes needed to stop temperatures rising above the Paris Agreement target of 1.5C.
The global mean temperature for 2022 is estimated to be 1.15C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial average and the latest forecast is an increase of 2.5C by the end of the 21st century. The reality is that modern societies have mistakenly, not deliberately, unhinged their lifestyles from a deep connection to nature, and consequently ‘natural’ events are increasingly becoming more threatening to our continued way of life.
The notion of ‘harm’ in ethics is often seen solely in human terms, ie we worry about moral responsibility when it pertains to people harming each other. But harm to the environment is ultimately harmful to people — polluted air, water, and food are consumed with a direct impact on people’s quality of life. There is a moral imperative for society to therefore extend the notion of care toward the environment in reversing the negative impacts of climate change.
So how do we build that momentum of systematic environmental change towards the critical 25% threshold of public acceptance, which environmental activist George Monbiot refers to as the ‘social tipping point’?
Communicating information campaigns that seek "to influence the voluntary behaviour of target audiences to improve their personal welfare and that of the society in which they are a part" is critical. Government and climate organisations must adopt such tactics through local bodies, public information campaigns, and educational programs across all ages.
Such campaigns, presenting key facts generated by hard data, were tremendously successful during the Covid crisis, as the public became educated in the science and clearly understood the immediate harm and imminent threats facing them, dramatically changing people’s behaviours to stay at home.
Facing the topic of climate disruptions urgently needs this groundswell of public opinion from all sectors of Irish society as, without it, we are lost.
Educating the public on the credible and easily understood facts of climate change are necessary to induce voluntary behavioural changes, at first small but incrementally becoming larger and more beneficial over time. One example in play is the purchase of electric cars in Ireland, reaching approximately 15% of all new car sales in 2022, up 86% from 2021.
The momentum needs to be spread across many other opportunities, such as electric buses and the use of smart meters. To further succeed, we must teach children the science behind the increasing levels of carbon (418.4 parts per million, or ppm, in Jan 2023) that is warming our planet and raising global temperatures.
Levels higher than 450 ppm, a key environmental tipping point, "are likely to lock in dangerous and irreversible changes in our climate”. We must develop common, easily understood metrics that truly paint the picture of life ahead. Education is critical to empower the younger generations with the tools needed to address the future, not continuing to hide the stark reality from them.
The average EU citizen generated 6.8 tonnes of CO2 in 2019, predominately generated using fossil fuels, oil, coal, and gas.
The challenge is to shift more of this energy reliance to sources of sustainable energy in achieving a required decrease to under 2 tonnes of CO2 per annum. It is not to immediately remove fossil fuels as part of our lifestyle, but to significantly rebalance our behaviours in favour of sustainable sources of energy, wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal.
To achieve this, engaging in environmentally friendly behaviours such as the adoption of mass transit, walking, and riding a bike is crucial. Significantly reducing our carbon footprint means taking more difficult conscious decisions such as declining to take a short holiday if requiring a flight, even if costs only €29.99 each way.
Dressing warmer indoors during winter while turning down the thermostat and limiting the use of the fireplace or stove. Shifting what we eat to more plant-based patterns of consumption. These are everyday options that need to become conscious decisions based on the known scientific consequences.
Accept the facts about climate change and the mistaken belief that only governments alone can fix this and that the economic system somehow cares as it simply does not. Society must act immediately on our responsibility in addressing climate change to protect future generations while every day positively embracing behavioural solutions on offer. There are simply no places left to hide anymore from the impending extreme weather on its way.
Check out the Irish Examiner's WEATHER CENTRE for regularly updated short and long range forecasts wherever you are.