Can we be optimistic amidst the turmoil?
Seeing the world through our social media feeds can bring us mixed feelings, let alone trigger anxiety, sadness, compassion, and empathy for those suffering. Writing about it would not solve conflicts, but I felt I had a moral responsibility to share my thoughts here.
We are majority. We want any war to stop.
Not only in European territories but fewer media-focused war areas in non-European territories. Are other wars not deserving of our attention and empathy? Are we putting more resistance to refugees and immigrants depending on their ethnicity? Are sanctions applied with the same criteria across nations worldwide? The only thing I know is that we are more citizens that want any conflicts and wars to stop than those eager to keep fighting.
IPCC Impacts, Adaptation & Vulnerability released report
The data is clear, the aim is to limit the global temperature rise to 1.50º, reduce GHG emissions by 45% by 2030, and achieve Net Zero by 2050. However, if we stay in current commitments and according to scientific predictions, global emissions are expected to increase by 14% over the current decade.
"The delay means death". - António Guterres United Nations Secretary- General
The report presented on February 28th by the IPCC scientists and experts is a warning about the consequences of inaction. It is a threat to human wellbeing and ecosystems. Currently, between 3.3 and 3.6 billion people live in global hotspots.
Severe climate change impacts are already happening, and vulnerable people are the most exposed and with fewer resources to adapt. Failing leadership and civilians fighting against wars and climate change are the common denominators here.
Heat stress, food security, water scarcity, and flood risk are consequences we are already experiencing today.
Mental health
After living through a global pandemic we are exhausted. Constant changes in daily habits, fear of contagion, modifications of family roles, disconnection from nature for some resulted in stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions. More importantly, there were also significant increases in the frequency and severity of domestic violence during the pandemic lockdowns. Barcelona Institute for Global Health
Climate Mitigation and adaptation
Climate injustice
Indigenous people and local communities
Communities in many countries are affected by toxic emissions into the water, food, limited availability of affordable nutritious food, drought, flooding, and other climate-related impacts on agriculture.
What are the opportunities?
Boost economies and green jobs
Cooperation among the private sector, public institutions, policy-makers, investors, NGOs, Academia, and citizens.
Focus on urban agriculture in cities and keeping moisture in soils.
Adaptation works
Adaptation projects with private and public funding.
Invest in early warning services.
Maintaining biodiversity
Large scale ecosystem restoration
Bring nature to cities to keep them cool
Dedicate thought and funding with nature at its core
Flood and drought risk mitigation
However, we are not adapting fast enough.
"Nature can be our savior only if we save it first". -Inger La Cour Andersen Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme
Environmental Intersectionality.
Understanding the needs for humans in mitigation and adaptation, not only focusing on restoring ecosystems but how locals and citizens play a key role.
The loss of habitat is a real issue happening now. This affects tourism services, local livelihoods, and communities.
Continued communication between science, policy-makers, and the media is needed to share information and provide information to drive action.
Interaction between nature, human species, and climate systems.
Social mobilization and urgency in education systems that consider these challenges to humankind.
Peace and leadership for our generation and generations to come.
We deserve leaders that enable cities, destinations, and communities to thrive.
Technology, when used right, can be our ally.
The same way we use social media to spread our word, we can use it for unity and create opportunities to use technologies for a clean and hopeful future for all. Every voice can make a difference.
Hotels in this context
As partnership with UNESCO Greentour Project. If you are a hotel, hotel group, accommodation business, or a restaurant and need help to measure your environmental impacts and emissions, you can start gathering data at no cost with the UNESCO Project Greentour.
Hotels willing to offer excess rooms for refugees they can list their properties in an online directory.
