Wake Up. Act Now.
“Act now to save our planet and our future from the climate emergency. We are losing the race.”
Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
All of us, the ones we love and every other living thing on our planet, are threatened by the Climate and Ecological Emergency. We need everybody to take action—right now. Science tells us these truths:
We’re Running Out of Time
Scientists agree that we must keep global warming below 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures. We’re already at +1.1°C. Without urgent action we’ll reach 1.5°C in just 20 years.
Small Increases Really Matter
A 1.5°C increase will destroy, just for example, 70%-90% of coral reefs. At 2.0°C, we’ll lose over 99%, and see drastic increases in extreme weather—stronger tropical storms, longer droughts, heavier downpours, and hotter heatwaves.
We’re Not Doing Enough
Even if every country delivers on all their current promises to reduce emissions, we’re heading for warming of over 3°C by 2100.
If We Don’t Respond Right Now…
… the Climate and Ecological Emergency will be out of control very soon. The hotter it gets, the higher the risk of triggering irreversible feedbacks.
Mass Extinction
Our planet’s sixth mass extinction—this one caused by human action—may now be underway. We depend on the natural world and biodiversity to survive, so the Ecological Emergency presents as great a risk the Climate Emergency.
Food Shortages
Loss of pollinators—over 75% of flying insects’ biomass, in 25 years at German sites—threatens food supply. Staple crops like wheat are already harmed by changing weather patterns.
Water Shortages
The UN predicts that by 2050 more than 5 billion people—about half the world’s predicted population—will suffer water shortages for at least one month per year.
Extreme Weather
A 4°C rise in temperature will expose 74% of people to deadly heat. Flooding, wildfires, and storms will kill many more.
Disease
Higher temperature and resulting increases in poverty will spread disease, expanding the range for diseases like malaria and dengue fever and putting hundreds of millions at risk.
Forced Migration
The Climate and Ecological Emergency will drive people from homes on a scale far beyond anything seen in human history: tens to hundreds of millions of displaced climate refugees by 2050, according to the UN.
War and Political Turmoil
With resources scarce and societies under increasing environmental stress, the likelihood of war—including nuclear war—and other conflicts will increase.
Societal Collapse
Combined escalation of all of these disasters puts society itself under threat. In the words of the great naturalist David Attenborough, “The collapse of our civilization is on the horizon.”