EDITORIAL
An atlas of human suffering
We commiserate with the unfortunate situation in the war-torn territories of
Israel and Palestine. The ongoing war is a manmade disaster that aggravates the
fragile situation around the globe brought about by the pandemic and Russia-Ukraine
war.
The armed conflict appears to directly affect Israel and Palestine only. However,
its impact on the world economy and the environment may be worse than expected.
It is “Code red for humanity”, warned UN Secretary-General António Guterres
when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published part one of its
assessment report sometime in early 2022.
The IPCC report concluded that warming 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels will be
reached by 2040. Part two of the report made even graver reading. Guterres described
it as an “atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate
leadership” saying the world’s biggest polluters are guilty of arson on our only home.
The evidence is hard to ignore: ecosystem collapse, species extinction, deadly
heatwaves and floods disrupted human lives to the point of causing great miseries.
To mitigate this, the IPCC calls for the restoration of degraded ecosystems and
conservation of 30-50% of land, freshwater and ocean habitats.
The recent conflict will definitely derail any plans to shore up humanity’s defense
against climate change.
The average temperatures of Israel and the surrounding areas have risen by
1.5˚C between 1950 and 2017, according to Israeli Meteorological Service, with
forecasted increase of 4˚C by the end of the century.
World leaders have stressed the need to limit global warming to 1.5˚C by the
end of this century since breaching the threshold risks unleashing more severe climate
change impacts.
Both Israel and Palestine have pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Instead of focusing on their commitments, they are now entangled on the politics of
their current existence.
Although climate change is an important global agenda, the current crisis and
the daily challenges every Israeli and Palestinian faces when they wake up every
morning certainly diverts the attention to our climate change problem.
The science is clear. The problem is here. But it seems we simply pay a lip
service to the solution. We now have two options left: life or death.