Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

Economic disaster awaits world if we don’t tackle climate crisis

The climate talks in Madrid are down to the final two days and countries are still unable to agree on a number of key issues that will affect all of us, reports ABC News.

There is still disagreement on rules for a global carbon market and aid to poor countries already affected by climate change. But, Australia’s use of piles of emissions vouchers leftover from a now-discredited system – essentially allowing the country to continue to meet climate goals without reducing pollution – created outrage.

Amidst all this lack of progress, Guterres, speaking at the conference today said, “For too long, vested interests have peddled the false story that economic growth and tackling climate change are incompatible. This is nonsense.”

“In fact, failing to tackle global heating is a sure-fire recipe for economic disaster,” Guterres added. He cited a study published in 2018 called “The New Climate Economy,” which shows that shifting to a low-carbon economy could create 65 million new jobs worldwide by 2030 and boost growth by $26 trillion dollars.

The key to meeting climate goals is for countries to stop burning fossil fuels by 2050, according to scientists. Only this way can we ensure global temperatures don’t rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) this century.

This transition needs to be done to benefit everybody,” Guterres said. “And not doing this transition will only allow, as I said, the survival of the richest.”

The summit’s president, Chile’s Environment Minister Carolina Schmidt, urged delegates to find “no excuses for not reaching agreements” and added that the world’s “youth and women” were demanding action, “one that is equal to the historical challenge that we are facing,” reports the Associated Press.

“I call on you to work together to be able to give a positive response tomorrow,” she said.

Avatar photo
Written By

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our dear friend Karen Graham, who served as Editor-at-Large at Digital Journal. She was 78 years old. Karen's view of what is happening in our world was colored by her love of history and how the past influences events taking place today. Her belief in humankind's part in the care of the planet and our environment has led her to focus on the need for action in dealing with climate change. It was said by Geoffrey C. Ward, "Journalism is merely history's first draft." Everyone who writes about what is happening today is indeed, writing a small part of our history.

You may also like:

Social Media

US tech giant Meta illegally harvested sensitive data including on sexual orientation from nearly a million South Korean Facebook users.

World

Despite being a major oil and gas producer, Norway has adopted the most ambitious electric vehicle (EV) objective in the world.

Life

One in five had concerning levels of chemicals, like lead, PFAS, and phthalates - a group of chemicals - often used to make plastic...

Social Media

The real danger of deepfakes lies in how easily the technology can now be accessed.