Photo/Illutration An area in Nepal devastated by a flash flood (Akiko Suzuki)

The battle against the climate crisis has entered a new stage.

The U.N. Environment Program recently released a report that cited difficulties in achieving the Paris Agreement goal of limiting the increase in average global temperatures to 1.5 degrees above the level before the Industrial Revolution.

The international community urgently needs to face the reality of global warming and acknowledge scientific knowledge to come together and accelerate its efforts toward the goal.

Average global temperatures have already risen by about 1.4 degrees. If nothing is done, temperatures are expected to increase by 2.6 degrees by century’s end.

The key to restraining damage and keeping the increase under 1.5 degrees will be to minimize the breadth of the temperature rise and the period when the target level is exceeded.

Unusual weather conditions are becoming a daily occurrence in various parts of the world.

Around Japan, record scorching heat and torrential rainfall caused by linear rainbands have disrupted daily life and damaged the economy.

Foreign nations have been hit by floods, droughts and wildfires.

We also cannot overlook the unequal damage caused by climate change.

Rising ocean levels are threatening island nations, and heavy damage has occurred in developing nations whose greenhouse gas emissions pale in comparison to those belched out by advanced nations.

A massive landslide of rocks and ice caused a catastrophic flash flood in the border zone of Nepal.

Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah, in calling for support, said there was no doubt climate change caused the disaster.

Even if average global temperatures rise by only 1.5 degrees, estimates indicate the temperature in the Himalayan and other highlands would rise by about 2 degrees and by as much as 6 degrees around the North Pole.

These predictions underscore the issue of “climate justice,” in which the imbalance between emissions responsibility and damage is corrected.

Cutting greenhouse gas emissions requires time and money. But if efforts are put off, future generations will suffer much greater damage and face a larger burden.

The current generation bears responsibility for building a sustainable society for the future.

In addition to limiting damage by constructing disaster-prevention infrastructure and dealing with heat waves and flooding, efforts must be made to expand renewable energy sources and invest in technology for a carbon-neutral future.

Divisions in the international community are another concern.

The extended Russian invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East have led to increased greenhouse gas emissions caused by military activities and could strengthen dependence on fossil fuels.

International cooperation is indispensable for maintaining peace and climate stability.

The U.N. Climate Change Conference scheduled for November in Turkey will test the resolve of participating nations.

Japan must fulfill its roles of both reducing emissions and supporting developing nations. It should also persistently encourage the United States to return to the Paris Agreement framework.

Even if the 1.5-degree goal is difficult to achieve, the target should not be abandoned.

The nations and generations that benefited most from the period of heavy greenhouse gas emissions must shoulder the appropriate responsibility. The resolve of those of us still living is now being tested.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 16

Related News