The World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) ‘Statement on the state of the Global climate 2018’ declares;
- 2015 – 2018 were the warmest four years on record as the long term warming trend continues.
- Ocean heat content is at a record high and mean global sea level continues to rise.
- Arctic and Antarctic Sea – ice extents are well below average.
- Extreme weather had an impact on lives and sustainable development on every continent. (In 2018)
The United Nations Environment Programme – Emissions Gap Report 2018 confirms:
- Current commitments are inadequate to bridge the emissions gap in 2030. Technically, it is still possible to bridge the gap to ensure global warming stays well below 2°C and 1.5°C, but if (national) ambitions are not increased before 2030, exceeding the 1.50C goal can no longer be avoided. Now more than ever, unprecedented and urgent action is required by all nations. The assessment of actions by the G20 countries indicates that this is yet to happen; in fact, global CO2 emissions increased in 2017 after three years of stagnation.
Countries need to strengthen the ambition of, scale up and increase effectiveness of domestic policy to achieve the temperature goals of the (2015)Paris Agreement.
Wired UK in September 2017 published the following list of evidences from the World Meteorological Organisation Report 2017 stating: ‘Climate change has pushed Earth into “uncharted territory”. Rising sea levels, melting arctic ice and record high temperatures are just some of the tell-tale signs.’
Temperatures are breaking records around the world- The 21st century has seen the most temperature records broken in recorded history. 2016 was the hottest year on record since 1880, according to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with average temperatures measuring 1.78 degrees Fahrenheit (0.99 degrees Celsius) warmer than the mid-20th century mean.
Arctic sea ice and glaciers are melting– Arctic sea ice coverage has shrunk every decade since 1979 by 3.5% to 4.1%. Glaciers have also been in retreat, including in major mountain ranges like the Alps, Himalayas and Rockies. In 2017, Arctic sea ice reached a record low for the third straight year running, according to scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and NASA.
Sea levels are rising at their fastest rate in 2,000 years– Rising sea levels are caused primarily by the added water from melting ice sheets and glaciers, as well as the expansion of sea water as it warms. Levels are currently rising at their fastest rate for more than 2,000 years and the current rate of change is 3.4mm a year.
Climate change will lead to a refugee crisis- Displacement of peoples as a direct result of climate change is not hypothetical, it’s already happening. An average of 21.5 million people have been forcibly displaced since 2008 due to climate change-related weather hazard, according to the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees.
Two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef has been damaged as a result of climate change– In April 2017, it was revealed that two-thirds of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef has been severely damaged by coral bleaching. This occurs when algae living within the coral tissue are expelled, usually as a result of water temperatures being too high. As a result, the coral loses its vibrant appearance, turns white and becomes weaker. Scientists say it will be hard for the damaged coral to recover.
The ocean is 26 percent more acidic than before the Industrial Revolution- The pH of ocean surface water has decreased by 0.1, which makes them 26 percent more acidic now than at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The waters are more acidic now than at any other point in human history.
Global flooding could triply 2030- The number of people exposed to flooding each year is a risk of tripling from 21 million to 54 million by 2030, according to a study from the World Resources Institutes. This would result in the economic costs of flooding increasing from £65 billion to around £340 billion.
More greenhouse gases are in our atmosphere than any time in human history- The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached the milestone of 400 parts per million for the first time in 2015 and surged again to new records in 2016, according to the World Meteorological Organisation’s annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.
Earth could warm by six degrees this century- The Earth’s temperature will continue to rise so long as we continue to produce greenhouse gases. The estimates for how much temperatures will increase by 2100 range from two degrees Celsius to as much as six degrees Celsius.
There is no scientific debate about the reality of climate change- Multiple studies show that a massive 97 per cent of researchers believe global warming is happening and that they agree that trends observed over the last past century are probably due to human activity.
Earth Overshoot Day- Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when we (all of humanity) have used more from nature than our planet can renew in the entire year. We are using 1.7 Earths (every year) as we use more ecological resources and services (than nature can regenerate) through overfishing, overharvesting forests, and emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than ecosystems can absorb. [1] This annual event is getting earlier and earlier in the year. In 2000 it landed in October. In 2015, it was August 13. In 2018, it fell on August 1.
Furthermore– A landmark report from the United Nations’ scientific panel on climate change (written and edited by 91 scientists from 40 countries who analysed more than 6,000 scientific studies) paints a far more dire picture of the immediate consequences of climate change than previously thought and says that avoiding the damage requires transforming the world economy at a speed and scale that has “no documented historic precedent.”
The report describes a world of worsening food shortages and wildfires, and a mass die-off of coral reefs as soon as 2040 — a period well within the lifetime of much of the global population. The report also shows that many of those effects will come much sooner, at the 2.7-degree mark.
What does this mean?
Nearly 2,000 years ago we were told there would be a time of great upheaval in the environment, that time has arrived;
Jeremiah 4: 18 – Your own conduct and actions have brought this on you.
Ezekiel 7: 5 – 6 – This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Disaster! Unheard-of disaster! See, it comes! The end has come! The end has come! It has roused itself against you. See, it comes!”
Luke 21: 25 – 26- There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world…
Luke 21: 1- There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilence various places, and fearful events.
Romans 8: 22– We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
What does the Bible tell us about?– The Future
What does this mean for you? – Good News
[1]Overshootday