Fight against climate change needs the spirit of Montreal Protocol

New Delhi: As we celebrate the World Ozone Day today, we see how a successful multilateral action saved the world from the biggest threat, the depletion of the ozone layer. A similar action and spirit is not seen when it comes to reduction of green house gases to arrest the rise in global temperature which was causing climate change.

The Ozone Day day commemorates the signing of the Montreal Protocol 35 years ago on September 16 to limit the use of ozone-depleting gases used in aerosols and cooling devices which were creating a hole in the sky exposing humans to the ultraviolet rays of the sun which in turn was causing cancer and cataracts, and also increasing earth temperature.

The treaty is signed by 197 countries – the first treaty in the history of the United Nations to achieve universal ratification.

Just a few days before the celebration of the signing of the Montreal Protocol, a multi-agency report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), was released showing the huge gap between aspirations and reality as regards the reduction in greehouse gases, responsible for the rise in earth temperature. The report stated in very clear terms that much more actions were required by world nations to save the earth from a devastating physical and socio-economic impact of climate change . There was still a huge gap between the aspirations and action to achieve the goals set by countries the report, ‘United in Science’ , said.

The concentration of greenhouse gases was rising to a record level as the burning of fossil fuel which had slowed down during the Covid pandemic had again been resumed with a vengeance As per the Paris agreement, the rise in global temperature should not be beyond 1.5 degree Celsius above the pre-industrial elevel. The ambition of emissions reduction pledges for 2030 needs to be seven times higher to be in line with the 1.5 °C goal of the Paris Agreement

The report notes that the past seven years were the warmest on record. There is a 48% chance that, during at least one year in the next 5 years, the annual mean temperature will temporarily be 1.5°C higher than 1850-1900 average. As global warming increases, “tipping points” in the climate system can not be ruled out.

We are already having extreme weather events. The current devastating floods in our neighbourhood Pakistan are the most clear evidence of the havoc that is in making for other parts of the world. The unusually intense rainfall that brought death and destruction across Pakistan is being ascribed to climate change, according to rapid attribution analysis by an international team of leading climate scientists as part of the World Weather Attribution group.

The report says that extreme rainfall in the region has increased 50-75 per cent and some climate models suggest this increase could be entirely due to human-caused climate change, though this conclusion is yet to be established with certainty.
Pakistan had in August more than three times its usual rainfall, making the month wettest since 1961. Sindh and Balochistan recorded seven and eight times their usual monthly totals respectively.

“Climate science is increasingly able to show that many of the extreme weather events that we are experiencing have become more likely and more intense due to human-induced climate change. We have seen this repeatedly this year, with tragic effect. It is more important than ever that we scale up action on early warning systems to build resilience to current and future climate risks in vulnerable communities. That is why WMO is spearheading a drive to ensure Early Warnings for All in the next five years,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas while releasing the report
The science is clear – urgent action is needed to mitigate emissions and adapt to the changing climate, says the report.

Unfortunately, we find the required action, the kind we witnessed under the Montreal Protocol, missing.

—-INDIA NEWS STREAM