Published 08:48 IST, September 26th 2019
UN alert: Oceans are devastating and there will be major repercussions
UN has alerted that the oceans are devastating and now the repercussions can not be avoided, but taking immediate action might buy us time for adaptation
United Nations on September 25, issued an alert that global warming is devastating oceans and other frozen spaces on Earth. Just two days after the climate summit which has evidently failed to deliver drastic actions on the climate emergency, UN warned that rise in temperature is harming the oceans in ways that will directly affect a large part of humanity. Ice sheets are crumbling, along with rising seas, melting glaciers, and ocean dead zones. There are a range of impacts including the demolishment of fish stocks.
Oceans absorb a quarter of man-made carbon dioxide along with more than 90 percent of the heat generated by other greenhouse gases. However, the reports have revealed that it is all at a terrible cost. The seas have grown more acidic which has now decreased their capability to absorb any more carbon dioxide. The temperature of the surface water of ocean bodies has risen which might generate deadly storms as the water is expanding. The melting of the glaciers is by far the most threatening of all consequences as it is driving a rise in sea level.
Global warming
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IIPC), these repercussions of the earth heating up are also destroying renewable sources of freshwater. The landmark assessment approved by the 195-nation also said that superstorms are being created which might ruin some megacities, every year. Moreover, some of these impacts will also be irreversible. A digest of 7,000 peer-reviewed studies, is a reminder that the greenhouse gas emissions are driving Earth towards a terribly hot climate which will be inhospitable for our species. It is the fourth report by the United Nations in less than a year, with 900 pages that focus on 1.5-Celsius cap on global warming, the decline of biodiversity along with land use and the global food system.
The red flag
The climate emergency is currently waving a red flag now, more than ever on the need to take action and confront the changes. There is, however, no way in which these outcomes can be reverted. People living on some islands and coastal cities will have to find other places to dwell. A researcher at Laboratory for Climate and Environmental Sciences and the IPCC co-chair, Valerie Masson-Delmotte also said that even if the humans manage to limit the global warming, there will still be major changes in the oceans. Delmotte believes that taking action now, will at least “buy us some time” to adapt to the changes which can not be averted. The 900-page report by the UN concludes that humanity must rethink and repair the way things are produced, distributed and consumed.
(with PTI inputs)
Updated 12:10 IST, September 26th 2019