More than 90% of the world’s scientists agree that the increase in global temperature (global warming) over the last 30 – 40 years is due to the release of Greenhouse Gasses from human activity such as burning fossil fuels for energy and land use for livestock and agriculture. This rapid warming of the planet leads to an increase in extreme weather and climate events (Climate Change).

Some climate deniers say that global warming / cooling is a natural process (nothing to do with us! Gonna happen anyway!) and they are not wrong. What they fail to point out however, is that when these processes are ‘natural’ they take thousands and thousands of years to unfold, allowing plants, animals and life to slowly adapt to new conditions and changing weather patterns on Earth.

In our case, human-induced climate change is happening at an alarming pace. Human, plant and animal life cannot adapt fast enough to these changes and so we are facing an imminent and dramatic loss of biodiversity and the collapse of the planetary eco-systems that sustain life.

Climate change is real, it is here and it is already happening.

If you only remember one fact about the climate crisis, remember this number:

1.5 degrees

This is the degree of global warming that scientists agree we cannot go beyond if we want to avoid catastrophic impacts of climate change. It is also important to remember that 1.5 degrees of warming is a global average which would still mean that places with higher temperature ranges, such as parts of Africa, may warm by up to 2 or even 3 degrees. Such a dramatic rise in temperature will mean huge losses of life and livelihoods in these areas. The sad irony of this reality is that these very same places that will be hit hardest are often those that have done the least to contribute to climate change.

And that’s why we need to be talking about Climate Justice!