Scientists warn we have almost run out of time

Peter du ToitI'm the founder of FutureWork IQ where I spend my time assisting businesses to improve their climate literacy so as to understand the projected impacts from the expanding climate crisis and how to adapt their workplaces in the face of these impacts.

In a paper published on Wednesday entitled World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency 2021 over 11,000 climate scientists warn that we are almost out of time.

They state:

Because of the limited time available, priorities must shift toward immediate and drastic reductions in dangerous short-lived greenhouse gases, especially methane (UNEP/CCAC 20201)

They go on to recommend we urgently change course in six areas:

(1) energy, eliminating fossil fuels and shifting to renewables;
(2) short-lived air pollutants, slashing black carbon (soot), methane, and hydrofluorocarbons;
(3) nature, restoring and permanently protecting Earth’s ecosystems to store and accumulate carbon and restore biodiversity;
(4) Food, switching to mostly plant-based diets, reducing food waste, and improving cropping practices;
(5) economy, moving from indefinite GDP growth and overconsumption by the wealthy to ecological economics and a circular economy, in which prices reflect the full environmental costs of goods and services; and
(6) human population, stabilizing and gradually reducing the population by providing voluntary family planning and supporting education and rights for all girls and young women, which has been proven to lower fertility rates.

How aligned are your future business plans with these recommendations?