Many of you may have heard about the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UN IPCC) report, entitled “Global Warming of 1.5 °C”, released in early October. This panel gathers and assesses scientific data related to climate change, which is used to inform the writing of governmental policies. The IPCC’s report, consisting of an overwhelming 6,000+ climate change studies, concluded that raising the earth’s temperature by even another 0.5 °C will result in huge consequences and produce extremely negative impacts on our world as we know it today. However, the IPCC states that limiting global warming to 1.5 °C requires rapid and extraordinary changes in all aspects of our societies, more specifically, we only have until 2030 to avoid a catastrophic climate crisis.
But why is this a concern? More importantly, why should you be concerned? You have probably already heard that increased global warming will bring more heatwaves, greater sea level rises, droughts, and extreme rainfalls. According to one of the Co-Chairs of the IPCC, Hans-Otto Pörtner, “every extra bit of warming matters, especially since warming of 1.5 °C or higher increases the risk associated with longer-lasting or irreversible changes, such as the loss of some ecosystems.” This should be a concern to you, your families, and the world. These catastrophic and potentially irreversible changes will affect our food system and security, water availability, the economy, and our health and safety, among many other factors. Ultimately, we need to start acting toward more environmentally-friendly and innovative solutions so that we can leave the world in a better place for our children, grandchildren, and future generations.
What can you do as a citizen of Marda Loop, in the community and beyond? The UN listed three things that everyone can do to reduce their environmental impact:
- Eat less meat (roughly 30%) – consider adopting “Meatless Mondays!”
- Swap your car or plane ride for a bus or train – better yet: walk or bike when at all possible!
- Use a smart thermostat in your home and upgrade to more efficient appliances – become more energy-efficient
There are many other things that you can do as a member of the Marda Loop community to reduce your impact. You can get involved with the MLCA Sustainability Committee and help promote sustainable living solutions in our community. You can also support (and invest if possible) innovative solutions. For example, the MLCA Sustainability Committee is currently investigating the potential of solar panels to power our community association.
You can attend the weekly Farmer’s Market at C-Space to support local farmers and vendors. Become a leader in the community by taking these initiatives and having conversations with your neighbours, families, children, and other community members around sustainability. Combating global warming requires all of us to work together to keep our planet (and future generations) healthy and viable.
Resources that were used in writing this article:
http://templatelab.com/ipcc-special-report-1.5/
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/07/world/climate-change-new-ipcc-report-wxc/index.html http://www.ipcc.ch/news_and_events/pr_181008_P48_spm.shtml
Looking to get involved in sustainability initiatives or have an idea?
Contact the MLCA Sustainability Committee at [email protected]
