GOOD TO KNOW
In June this year, UNESCO asked Australia to list the Great Barrier Reef as an Endangered World Heritage Site, the most important reason being climate change. Nevertheless, the committee responsible voted against the resolution for the moment by 12 votes to 9. This decision has been strongly criticized by the public, as half of the reef has already been irrevocably destroyed and, according to scientists, it could disappear completely in a few decades.
Source: Tagesschau
The EU Commission wants to achieve the climate targets for 2030 with a comprehensive package of requirements. The aim is to reduce the EU's CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The adaptation of the EU's existing emissions trading system and the faster introduction of low-emission modes of transport are part of the numerous measures.
Source: Tagesschau
Climate change affects not only Europe, it is a global issue. One of the latest signs are extreme, hazardous weather events in Northamerica: New York’s streets and subway stations are flooted due to heavy rainfalls. Meanwhile, the whole state of California is struggling with record-breaking high temperatures.
The exact reason for those extreme weather events and more important facts and advice about climate change are being explained at our “activate activists” offer. More information is coming soon.
Source: MSNBC
A recent draft report from the United Nations’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns of ‘irreversible consequences on humans and ecological systems’. If the 1.5 degree target will be missed, 420 million people could be affected by heat waves. This also increases the risk of hunger. The collapse of entire ecosystems, species extinction and disease as a result of global warming will increase even more rapidly in the coming decades, according to the IPCC paper – even if we succeed in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Nevertheless, the report authors stress that every “fraction of one degree of warming” counts.
Source: Tagesschau
Green grass and lush leaves: that could soon be history in southern Spain. Droughts are drying out the pastureland. In 2005, so little rain fell that animals died of thirst in many places. The drought also increases the risk of forest fires. Already, an average of more than 30 severe fires spread in Spain each year. Fires that spread to more than 500 hectares of land - the equivalent of about 680 soccer fields - are considered "severe" fires.
Source: National Geographic
The climate crisis is hitting forests very hard. The coniferous species pine and spruce in particular are suffering from the increasing climate extremes such as heat, drought and storms. At lower and warmer altitudes, more and more pines are dying, in some cases even entire forests - this can be seen from the red-colored crowns. The black pine, which was previously considered particularly heat-tolerant, is also massively affected. The drought has also made the trees more susceptible to diseases or pests such as the bark beetle.
Source: Tagesschau
The sea level continues to rise. Coastal regions around the world will be swallowed up by the seas in the next few decades. In some regions of the world, the opposite is happening: global warming is raising the country. The reason is the melting glaciers, whose massive weight usually presses the land down. The faster the ice melts, the higher the land below "springs" back and the mountains grow. For example in Iceland: The island rises up to three centimeters per year. And that could have bad consequences: The dwindling glacial ice opens up new paths through which magma could escape.
Source: ZDF
Extreme weather changes and aggressive behavior are related. That is what studies by American scientists at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have shown. The hotter the climate, the higher the level of adrenaline in the body, which encourages abnormal, aggressive behavior. If the temperatures rise, so does the conflict level. In addition, the climate in agricultural countries has a significant impact on the economic situation of the poor population. If the climate changes quickly, the economic situation gets worse and out of desperation people could use arms more often.
Source: Welt