A report by the United Nations (UN)’s International Panel on Climate (IPCC), released on Monday shows that climate change continues to have devastating effects on economies across the globe.
The firm recommends that countries should at least invest heavily to avert the effects which put economic growth prospects in dim.
The report shows that climate change-related shocks such as flooding and drought will continue affecting countries
Among other things, the report indicates that the greenhouse gas emissions released by fossil fuel burning, forest destruction and other human activities are destabilising the climate, with carbon dioxide levels in the air now at the highest point.
“For cities, some aspects of climate change may be amplified, including heat (since urban areas are usually warmer than their surroundings), flooding from heavy precipitation events and sea level rise in coastal cities,” the report reads.
These disasters could degrade and possibly destroy infrastructure, resulting in loss of life as well as increased costs in repairing damages.
UN Secretary- General António Guterres says in a statement that countries should be aggressive to reverse the situation.
“Countries should also end all new fossil fuel exploration and production and shift fossil fuel subsidies into renewable energy. By 2030, solar and wind capacity should quadruple and renewable energy investments should triple to maintain a net zero trajectory by mid-century,” Guterres says.
In a recent interview, Civil Society Network on Climate Change National Coordinator Julius Ng’oma said an indaba revolving climate change would be ideal for countries like Malawi to gain skills and knowledge on mitigating measures.
Responding to a questionnaire, Association of Environmental Journalists President Mathews Malata said the country needed to act urgently to control these impacts.
The Government of Malawi has signed and ratified the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, ratified the Kyoto Protocol and is also a signatory to the 2015 Paris Agreement, all aimed at providing global responses to risks associated with climate change.
Source: The Daily Times_Thursday, Agust 12, 2021_By Yamikani Kachaje