Government representatives from around the world are currently in Glasgow, Scotland, to attend the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP).
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| global warming vs climate change |
COP 26 aims to tackle the world's environmental challenges, and Alok Sharma, the conference's president, has said that COP 26 is the "last hope" of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Scientists say that if we are to avoid the worst climate change, we must limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
World leaders agreed on this goal six years ago in Paris, and progress is now being reviewed, with more important announcements expected.
What more do we know about this conference and climate change?
Climate change is one of the most important issues in the world.
If we are to stop global warming, governments must crack down on greenhouse gas emissions. The conference in Glasgow is an opportunity to announce changes.
Possibly other polluting countries, including the United States and China, will make important promises here, while aid may also be announced for poor countries.
It will make a difference in the lives of all of us. Decisions made here will affect our future jobs, how we keep our homes warm and cool, what we eat and how we travel.
How Dangerous Can Climate Change Be?
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says severe weather, with extreme heat waves and devastating floods, is now commonplace.
The State of Climate Report 2021 cites signs of climate change, including rising temperatures, severe weather conditions, rising sea levels and ocean conditions.
It says the world is "changing before our eyes."
The 20-year average temperature since 2002 is about one degree Celsius warmer than before the start of the industrial age.
In addition, the year 2021 has also seen the highest increase in global sea level.
But why only one and a half degrees?
It is generally known that human activities have affected the environment around the world. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, produced by our industrial development and burning fuel, trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, causing the world to heat up.
Scientists say that by limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to before the industrial age, we can avoid the worst environmental effects. But we have already crossed the 1.1 degree Celsius threshold, so urgent and effective action is needed.
The agreement reached in Paris decided that the rise in temperature would be limited to "somewhere below" two degrees Celsius and efforts would be made to limit it to one and a half degrees.
But the world is not on track to achieve that goal.
Due to the current plans, we will cross the 1.5 degree Celsius limit in a few decades and this increase will reach 2.7 degree Celsius before the end of the century.
Scientists say that if we still have to achieve the target of one and a half degrees Celsius, then there is no time for cheapness at all. Some other scientists believe that it is too late and that this goal will not be achieved.
One and a half degree, two degree and three degree hot world will be like?
If you go out one day, you may not even notice a difference of half a degree Celsius in temperature, but it can have huge and potentially devastating effects on our global environment.
As hot as the world was at the end of the 19th century, it is now 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer and its effects are being felt all over the world.
So what will happen in such a case?
If global temperatures were limited to one and a half degrees Celsius by 2100 compared to pre-industrial times, polar ice caps and glaciers would continue to melt.
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| global warming vs climate change |
But the benefit of limiting it to that level would be that we would be able to reduce the intensity of massive flooding and prevent millions of people from being displaced by rising sea levels.
In addition, we will be able to reduce the number of people struggling for access to water worldwide by 50%.
At two degrees Celsius, the world will become unbearable for many.
All the coral reefs in the warm seas will be destroyed and the floods will be worse than ever.
Large numbers of animals and plants will lose their natural habitat and many others will experience more heat than one and a half degrees Celsius.
Heat of three degrees and above will have a devastating and devastating effect on our planet, and hundreds of millions of people will lose their homes as sea levels rise.
"We know our common planet is heading for turmoil and we can work together to solve this problem," said Alok Sharma, president of COP 26 in Glasgow.
"We have to work immediately to come up with the desired solution. This work will start today. Either we will succeed together or we will fail together.
Alok Sharma is calling this conference the last hope of the world
However, this issue is not only scientific but also politically involved. Governments often do not formulate the policies that scientists believe are necessary to deal with climate change.
Even former US President Donald Trump distanced his country from the Paris Agreement because he said it was "unfair".
However, President Joe Biden has included the United States back in the agreement.
In addition, more action is expected from oil and gas producers and many countries that depend on this fuel.
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